Escape To A New World
by Pixel and Stephanie Forever
Summary: Ahsoka discovers the clones carrying out Order 66, and the Padawan escapes to a new dimension - Harry's dimension. Harry helps her to cope with being the last surviving Jedi and the two form a friendship with each other. A Harry/Ahsoka/Hermione trio fic.
1. Order 66 – Escape To A New Place

**Order 66 – Escape ****To A New Place**

Ahsoka Tano was reading in the comfort of her quarters in the Jedi Temple when it began. The first thought that ran through her head was that someone had accidentally let off a blaster weapon, but that was swiftly dismissed by the sounds of multiple shots. She put her book down, picked up her lightsaber and left her quarters for the source of the sounds. Ahsoka was walking down the corridor when her mind was suddenly filled with the deaths of many Jedi. It felt like a heavy object had slammed into her very being, and she staggered into a wall. It took her a few moments to block out the cries of so many Jedi being killed through the Force, and she continued her journey. When Ahsoka entered one of the many halls of the temple, she saw the floor littered with dozens of Jedi – Masters, Knights and Padawans alike. They had all been killed by blaster rifles which she could tell from the holes that had burned through the bodies of the dead. Ahsoka's lightsaber dropped into the ready position in her hands, and she looked around at the total devastation. The smell of burning and burned flesh hung heavily in the air, and it nearly caused the young Padawan to be sick. She took another look around and saw a group of Clone Troops in their distinctive white body armour, and she made a force run the 70ft or so towards them. She had almost reached them when they turned and trained their rifles on her, but the leader of the group stopped them from firing. Ahsoka thanked a few deities that the troops where from a regiment that she knew well.

"What is going on here?" she asked the leader.

"One moment" requested the leader, and he turned and spoke with the troops under his command using a comm link that she didn't hear. The troops turned and went off and Ahsoka heard more Jedi being killed in the temple, and the whine of blaster rifles being fired.

"What is going on?" asked Ahsoka once more.

"The Emperor has ordered us to kill all members of the Jedi" replied the Captain, and he removed his helmet to reveal the face of…

"Rex?" Ahsoka's mind was spinning with everything that was happening. "Who is the Emperor? I don't understand what you mean!" she exclaimed.

"The Chancellor has proclaimed himself Emperor and has ordered all clone troops to execute Order 66. Order 66 is to kill every member of the Jedi" the clone finished. Ahsoka nearly fell to the ground with shock, and she felt hot tears running down her face – not even bothering to remember that she was a Jedi and that she had to be brave at everything she faced.

"Will you…" she paused, "Will you kill me?" the girl asked. Her lightsaber was still in her hand, but she was too shocked to use it on a clone she considered a friend.

"I had those troop leave to search the lower levels" Rex replied, "I haveserved with you for a while now, and I can not bring myself to kill you. The troops will return in less then five minutes. I suggest that you leavethis place and never return to the Jedi temple again" he told her, and Ahsoka looked up to stare at him.

"Why?" she asked quietly, noting that most of the screams had now gone.

"If I could have had you exempted from this order, then I would – but I couldn't" Rex replied, sadness crossing his face. He seemed to consider something before speaking to her once more. "When the troopers return, I'll have them start a search from the other side of the temple, and that should giveyou enough time to get a few things from your quarters and then make a run for it" and Ahsoka for some reason put her lightsaber onto her belt.

"Thank you" she said quietly to him. Rex was about to turn and go away, when something else occurred to him.

"When you have got what you need from your quarters" he said, not wanting to see the looks of hurt, betrayal, angel, sadness and many many more, "Go to the Artifacts room. Look for the Dimension Jump device – it might help you" and with that he put on his helmet and walked away from Ahsoka's life forever.

As for the person concerned, Ahsoka ran all the way back to her quarters and packed spare clothes, a pair of blast pistols, a comm device and a small holomapof the planet's surface. For some reason she also took the book she had been reading, and put it in her backpack as well. Ahsokatook a long hard look at her quarters; she reached into a drawer for a small explosive device that she had kept from a mission with Anakin Skywalker. She briefly wondered where she her master was, but then she dismissed the thought. The Padawan activated the device and placed it on the inside of her door so that the next people – presumably clone troopers – would be severely injured or even killed from the explosion. She closed the door for the last time, and then used a partial force speed run to get to the Artifacts room and, as promised by Rex, she met no clone troops. The Dimension Jump device was where it always was, and Ahsoka took it from the pedestal on which it sat. It was as big as a large novel, and the girl sat it down on the stone floor.

"Now what do I do?" she asked the device, and to her surprise it lit up and started to hum loudly. It wasn't long before the noise filled the room and caught the attention of the clones. They came towards her but did not fire – wanting to get a good accurate shot. Ahsoka went for her lightsaber and lit it up, and she swung it around as the closest troops started to fire at her. The highly skilled Padawan was able to deflect the deadly bolts of death coming from the rifles, and Ahsoka wondered if the device could get her out of the temple. She put her mind to the task at hand, and she sent the bolts towards the clones whom all fell down dead. Not knowing much about the device, she addressed it directly. "Describe functions" she ordered.

_This unit is able to send people to another dimension. This unit is the only one of its kind, and this unit has not yet been tested_. Ahsoka knew she didn't have much time until new troopers arrived.

"What happens during transport, according to design plans?" she asked it.

_This unit will transport a person to another reality. NOTE: the process is one way only. As another unit has not yet been built, there is no way to return._

"Clarify"

_The process uses enough power to destroy this unit. The trip is therefore currently one way only._

"So I would be stuck with no way to return?" Ahsoka asked, her mind still hearing the death calls of the remaining Jedi.

_Affirmative _was all that the unit replied with. Ahsoka thought for a moment and then decided that if the Jedi were being wiped out and exterminated, then there was nothing left for her here.

"Activate" she ordered the device.

_Order not accepted_ the unit shrilled, _device locked from dimension jumping_. Ahsoka could have screamed, but she could sense clones coming fast to the room she was in.

"Override"

_Override code? _Ahsoka didn't know the code off hand, but her memory told her of something she had overheard Master Kenobi speaking of to Master Windu and Master Yoda.

"Override code: Alpha Zulu six-eight-nine" and the device suddenly pitched up in noise as the clones burst into the room and started to fire right at her.

_Device activated_and without any other warning, there was a flash of light and the last surviving Padawan in the great Jedi Temple vanished from the room she stood in. She now stood in a room full of human looking children who all wore black robes – rather like a Jedi's. Suddenly the strange looking room started to spin, and Ahsoka fell like a ton of stone to the floor in front of a boy and a girl.

"Okay…" said the raven haired boy, "Any ideas on what just happened?" he asked his brown bushy haired companion.

"None" the girl replied, staring in surprise and wonder, "Nothing really springs to mind actually" she added. The rest of the people in the room looked at the sight of the red skinned creature with long tail like things coming out of her head. The top most parts were covered by a headdress of some kind, and the tendrils twitched slightly.

"So what do we do?" asked the raven haired boy, "She doesn't look very well – like she has just been through something terrible" and the bushy haired girl nodded and put her book down on the little table in front of her and took out a small pointed piece of wood. She waved it at Ahsoka and the Padawan rose into the air – with the backpack still on her back – and took her towards a door in one wall.

"We better take her to the hospital wing" the bushy haired one said, "I don't care who or what she is, but she needs help so I'm off to the hospital wing with her" and the two vanished. The raven haired boy picked up a piece of something that looked like paper, and then followed the pair.

"Wait up Hermione" he called, "We'll use the map. I don't feel like meeting Snape or Filch tonight" and the girl he called Hermione turned briefly and smiled back at him.

"Thanks Harry" Hermione said, turning back to the floating Ahsoka, "I don't think that I could possibly explain this if I met both or one of them" and Harry smiled.

"I know. Lets get her to the Hospital Wing and see what Pomfrey can do" and together the two took Ahsoka down long corridors in order to get her some help.

**A/N:**

**A short chapter here, but I wondered what you would think of the fic first. I'vetaken the plunge and decided to do a crossover – so here it is. I got the idea after watching the Star Wars – Clone Wars film and also Star Wars: Clone Wars TV show. Knowing about Order 66, I wondered what happened to Ahsoka. Knowing that she was most likely killed during the events of Order 66, I decided that she was too sweet and good a person to die, and so I'm writing a fic to explain what happened to her.**

**So…**

**If you liked the chapter and the idea of the fic, then let me know**

**Regards**

**Pixel**


	2. The Beginnings Of New Friendships

**The Beginnings Of New Friendships**

Harry and Hermione took the odd looking girl to the hospital wing, and Harry removed her pack and placed her on a bed while Hermione fetched Madam Pomfrey. She returned with the school nurse who looked at the new arrival with surprise.

"A result of the Weasley twins' experiments?" she asked the pair.

"Not this time" Harry told her, "She just appeared in the middle of the Gryffindor common room and then just fell to the floor after looking right at me, Hermione and the common room" and Pomfrey frowned.

"Let us just see" she said, and she waved her wand at the figure. It was the spell needed to have a person resume their normal form, but nothing happened whatsoever. At that moment Dumbledore came in with McGonagall close behind him.

"So this is our unannounced arrival?" he asked, and Harry nodded and filled Dumbledore and McGonagall in on what exactly happened.

"She looked at us though just before she passed out" Hermione added.

"And this is not a student?" McGonagall said.

"I'm not even sure if it is human, Minerva" Pomfrey said.

"Some kind of magical creature? Has Voldemort sent this thing to us?" the deputy asked.

"It is no creature that I have ever seen in any book I have ever studied" Pomfrey replied, and Dumbledore moved round the bed to search the pack Harry passed him.

"Have you ever encountered such thing as this, Albus?" asked McGonagall to Dumbledore.

"I am afraid to say that this eludes even me" the headmaster admitted.

"Now there is something you don't hear everyday" Harry said to Hermione.

"It certainly is not" Dumbledore said, and he blushed before going into the pack. He pulled out a normal looking book but with some odd writing inside. Putting that aside, he next pulled out a pair of what appeared to be pistols – but of a curious design. Dumbledore went to the nearest window, opened it stuck them outside before pulling the triggers on both weapons. Instead of a muggle explosion, a bolt of energy came from the muzzle of each gun and hit the lake, causing it to boil at the impact site.

"Voldemort doesn't have anything like that" McGonagall said.

"I've never seen anything like that outside of films" Hermione commented.

"Nor have I" Harry agreed.

"There's only clothes in here" Pomfrey said, looking inside the pack. The only other thing on her is this cylindrical thing on her belt" and Pomfrey unhook it and handed it over to Dumbledore for closer inspection.

"Have you any idea what it is, Professor?" asked Hermione respectfully.

"I do not, Miss Granger" Dumbledore replied, and he ran his hands over the surface of the object. He brushed against some kind of switch or button and a small beam of energy came out of one end and took off a good two and a half feet of Dumbledore's beard. He pressed the button again and the beam vanished. "Twenty years work ruined" he muttered sadly and he clipped it back onto the girl's belt. As he did so, he accidentally knocked into the bedside table and one of the blasters went off and a bolt of energy hit the stone wall. All of a sudden the eyes of the newest arrival at Hogwarts opened, and she jumped up and took the strange thing from her belt and activated it.

#

The blaster noise had woken Ahsoka up and her Jedi training kicked in and she stood ready to deal with any threat. She saw several normal looking humans and the oldest one seemed to be in charge, and so Ahsoka addressed him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore" replied the elderly man – surprising Ahsoka by saying it in republican Standard. "This is Minerva McGonagall, Poppy Pomfrey, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger" the man added, pointing to each person in turn. "We promise to not hurt you. May we know your name?" he asked.

"Ahsoka" Ahsoka said, "Ahsoka Tano" and she straightened up and got off the bed, but did not deactivate her lightsaber. "Where am I?" she asked.

"You are in a place called Hogwarts. It is a school for magically gifted children where they learn different types of magic" the man calling himself Albus Dumbledore said. "We have never seen anyone like yourself before, and I wondered if you could tell us how you came to appear in the building?" and Ahsoka believed him and turned off her lightsaber and attached it to her bed.

#

The girl calling herself Ahsoka turned off the thing she had held as a weapon and clipped it to her belt.

"You may or may not believe me on this, but I have come from another dimension" she began, "And I am the last survivor of a group called the Jedi" and she saw the younger two exchange glances.

"What happened?" asked McGonagall. Ahsoka sat on the top of the bed and related her entire story, from the moment she had heard the blaster shots, to the moment she had appeared in the common room. By the end of the tale, she was in tears and the youngest female, little more then a girl herself and about Ahsoka's own age put an arm around her in comfort.

"You're safe enough here" Hermione assured her. "If the device was destroyed, then nobody can come through to hurt you" and Ahsoka's tears slowly stopped flowing and she wiped her eyes dry.

"What are we going to do with the poor girl?" asked Pomfrey.

"I think it better to call for Aurors so the Ministry can decide. Everything has to be done properly" Dumbledore said, and Harry snapped round and rounded on him.

"This girl is a survivor of a war crime, and you want to have her locked up by the Aurors like you did to Sirius?" he asked hotly, "I'm thinking that you've snapped, Dumbledore" Harry added. He had a point as he had discovered that Dumbledore had not allowed a trial for his recently departed Godfather.

"That is something that we shall discuss in private, Harry" Dumbledore said sternly, "But for now I think we should do the right thing and let the Aurors take care of this" and his tone was one that he had used with Harry many times before. Harry stood his ground, and Ahsoka and Hermione looked at the sight. Ahsoka felt better that someone was defending her – even though he had only known her for a matter of a few minutes.

"Let the authorities do the right thing, and place her under protective custody" Dumbledore insisted. Harry withdrew his wand and aimed it at Dumbledore.

"Over my dead body!" he declared, and Hermione took her off from around Ahsoka and did the same as Harry.

"It isn't right, Professor" she said, "Ahsoka is in need of rest by the looks of it. I'll bet that she'll be running on adrenaline or something at the moment. Let her have some rest before you do anything" Hermione asked, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"First of all, lower your wands, both of you" Dumbledore said, "And secondly, I will decide what happens" but both Harry and Hermione refused to comply with Dumbledore's instructions.

"And I agree with Mr Potter and Miss Granger that this poor girl needs some rest" Pomfrey said, using the tone used by medical professional worldwide.

"Will you lower your wands?" he asked Harry and Hermione.

"No" they said in unison.

"Then I shall I have to take them off you myself" Dumbledore said. Even though Ahsoka had not seen magic perform in this dimension, she recognised an attack when she saw one. Going on instinct, she used the force to snatch the wand from Dumbledore, and it came right towards her.

"That was like and _Accio_ spell" Harry said, amazed that someone had got the drop on Dumbledore.

"I wouldn't know" Ahsoka said, and she put all of her things into her pack except for the lightsaber which hung off her belt. "I better go someplace else" she said, and she made to move but Harry stopped her.

"You need your rest, so you can come with me to someplace where you can rest, eat, drink and just calm down and relax until you feel better" Harry said, and he boldly put his hand in hers and smiled. For some reason Ahsoka trusted Harry and Hermione as they had stuck up for a complete stranger – herself.

"Alright" she said, "She could do with food, drink and sleep" and Ahsoka, last of the Jedi, allowed herself to be gently pulled towards the doors where she had clearly come in.

"Where do you think you are going to?" asked Dumbledore as the trio reached the doors.

"Someplace where Ahsoka is out of your reach" Harry said, and they turned a corner and vanished from sight. McGonagall, Pomfrey and Dumbledore looked at each other before McGonagall broke the full minute and a half's silence.

"A stranger comes from a war zone, and you try to have her locked up?" she said to Dumbledore, "Way to go Albus… way to go" and she walked away in disgust.

"You idiot" said Pomfrey and she walked off the other way back to her office – leaving Dumbledore to pick up his wand from the bed Ahsoka had been on.

#

"I don't want to be any trouble" Ahsoka said to Harry and Hermione. The three of them walked along a long stone corridor like those in old holodramas she had seen while not on a mission at the Jedi temple. Sadness passed through her as she realised that everything and everyone she knew was most likely dead to her, and that she would never be able to return. Ahsoka managed to bite back the tears this time.

"Oh don't worry about that" Hermione told her, "Harry and the headmaster don't see eye to eye much anymore" and they turned many corners and went down different corridors. It was night so most students at Hogwarts were either in their common rooms, or in the library. Those that they met assumed that the person with Harry and Hermione was a result of a Weasley prank.

"Where are we going?" Ahsoka asked Harry. As they went along, she tried to commit every turn to memory in case she had to escape.

"Headmaster's office" Harry told her.

"But we left him in the Hospital wing" Ahsoka heard Hermione say, "What are we going to get from going to his office?" she asked.

"Dumbledore has a Floo connection" Harry told her, and this made Hermione's face light up.

"I think I know what you're going to do2 she told him, and Harry nodded.

"You're probably right" Harry said.

"What is a floo?" asked Ahsoka.

"It is one way for magical people to travel between buildings or some places" Hermione replied. "Harry is going to take us to a house that he owns – and that is where you can rest for as long as it takes. After that, "Hermione paused, "After that we'll see about getting you sorted out in our world" and she gave Ahsoka a warm smile. They stopped outside one of the most bizarre looking statues she had ever seen.

"_Battleship Potemtkin_" Harry said to it, and the statue moved to one side and revealed a long winding staircase that allowed them passage upwards. The office was filled with glittering objects, and books with gold coloured titles. Harry went right for one object and took out a clear container with some silver powder in it.

"Take some of this, say 'Number 12 Grimmauld Place' and then throw it into the fire and jump in" Harry told her.

"What?" Ahsoka said.

"I'll show you" Hermione said, and she did everything that Harry had said.

"You go next so Hermione can help you up – it can be a rough landing for some" Harry told Ahsoka, and the Padawan trusted Harry and did what he said. she was engulfed in flames for a moment or two before appearing what was clearly a house – rather like the ones she had seen on Naboo. Harry came tumbling after her and he put the fire out with a wave of what Ahsoka now knew to be a wand. The boy looked up and down at Ahsoka before whispering to Hermione.

"I hadn't thought of that" Hermione said, and they turned to her.

"Do you eat meat?" Harry asked her.

"Yes" Ahsoka replied.

"Not that it matters, but I didn't ant to make you something that you couldn't eat" Harry said smiling. "I think you'd like a nice warm shower, so Hermione will show you where everything is in the bathroom and I'll see what we have for you to eat" and he went off into what Ahsoka presumed to be a kitchen.

"Is he always like this?" she asked Hermione as they headed up some wooden stairs.

"Harry? He likes to help people who are in need" Hermione replied, opening a door and going inside and Ahsoka followed. A different dimension she might be in, but the Padawan knew a shower when she saw one. The biggest surprise was that it actually did hot water. This was something that the masters had never allowed in the temple, and Ahsoka had always wondered why.

"Are you sure I'm not too much trouble?" she asked, Hermione, her brain tendril trembling with fear.

"Of course not" Hermione replied, and she opened a cupboard. "These are we keep the towels, flannels and other bath things. And here is where we keep the soaps and shampoos" and Hermione looked at Ahsoka's red skin. "Perhaps we should put a little blob of each on to see if your skin reacts with anything" and Ahsoka agreed.

"I wouldn't want to escape certain death in order to be killed by cleaning products she assured Hermione. One by one the two tried each soap and shampoo and a few caused a minor reaction that Hermione reversed with a pass of her wand. She showed Ahsoka how to work the shower and then left her to it.

#

"How do you think she will cope?" asked Harry as Hermione walked into the kitchen.

"It all depends really" Hermione replied, sitting at a seat at the kitchen table. "I think she trusts us after we stood up for her against Dumbledore, but we will need to ask her about her life before she came her – not just the immediate time before she appeared in the common room" and Harry agreed.

"I hope she likes these" he said, and showed Hermione that he was making some plain and simple ham sandwiches. "You can't go wrong with those" Harry told Hermione.

"Putting Ahsoka aside for a moment. What are we going to do about Dumbledore? He is really going to have a go at us when we return to Hogwarts. I'm half certain that he has Aurors looking for us now" Hermione said, then suddenly looked alarmed at a thought that entered her mind. "Dumbledore knows where this place is. He'll come and drag us back" but to her surprise Harry shook his head with a smile across his lips.

"When Sirius left this place to me, I had Griphook make me the secret keeper. Unless I tell someone the address again, Dumbledore can't remember where it is" and Hermione beamed at a piece of good logic from Harry.

"I'll go and get a room ready for Ahsoka and tell her that there's something for her" Hermione got up and headed back upstairs. Harry finished making the sandwiches and got a pitcher of Pumpkin Juice for Ahsoka to drink and wash down the food with.

#

Ahsoka allowed the water to flow over her body until she felt clean, and she dried herself off with a towel before dressing in a warm jumpsuit that she had taken from her now _former_ quarters in the Jedi temple. Not seeing anything that would be classified as a laundry chute, Ahsoka left the wet towel inside the shower and zipped up her jumpsuit so it provided the most warmth. She went over and took a small flannel and dried her tendrils with it before it joined its larger cousin in the shower. She left the bathroom where she saw Hermione waiting for her.

"Harry has something for you" she told her, and she led Ahsoka down to the kitchen where the hungry girl wolfed down the food and drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I guess she likes my sandwiches" Harry said, making a joke to put his guest at ease. Harry then asked if she could tell him and Hermione more about what had happened, and Ahsoka agreed. The Padawan told the pair everything she knew about the war, the battles she had fought in and then finally Order 66.

"Sounds as if you was lucky to escape that place" Hermione said quietly, when Ahsoka had finished her tales.

"More then can be said for the others" she replied bitterly, "What will become of me?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well Harry and I talked while you had the shower, and we decided to have you put under the protection of Harry's family" Hermione said, and she and Harry filled Ahsoka in with the details concerning Harry's situation.

"If you ever need help, then just ask me" Ahsoka told him, and the three made a promise there and then to help each other out when needed. "So forgetting the protection for a moment, what should I do now?" she asked.

"We'll speak to Professor McGonagall about getting you into Hogwarts" Harry said, "And we'll help you to learn everything you would had you been born here, and you can go to school like us" and then he asked her what she could do apart from taking Dumbledore's wand off him. Ahsoka showed them both with demonstrations of her Jedi abilities, and it made her happy to have made two friends in what would be her new home. She was sad inside because of the other Jedi being killed, but Ahsoka knew that she would have just added herself to the total of dead Jedi if she had fought against people.

"Thank you" Ahsoka said, "I seem to be lucky that I ended up meeting the right sort of person. They talked for a little while, and then Hermione took Ahsoka to the room she would be staying in, and Hermione took the one next to it in case the Padawan had nightmares or something during the night. Harry though took his robe off, rolled up his shirt sleeves and work through the night on paperwork. At 1am he was confused, and at 2am he used the floo and called in Griphook to take a look at his figures.

"You forgot to carry the two" said the Goblin, and he promptly returned to Gringotts.

"Well if that wasn't random" remarked Harry to the otherwise empty room. He put away the paperwork in the large wooden desk and extinguished the lights. A wave of his wand, and the fireplace was sealed from people entering using the floo, and then and only then did Harry go to bed.

#

Ahsoka did not have nightmares during the night, but instead lay awake in her jumpsuit thinking about all the death, destruction and chaos that Order 66 had brought. If what she had felt through the force was correct, then few if any Jedi – Masters, Knights and Padawans alike – had survived. The Togrutan girl sobbed quietly as she lay in the darkness, and she thought about what to do next. Harry and Hermione seemed friendly enough, but what about others? She dearly missed all of her friends, and wished that she could see them but knew that was impossible. Ahsoka then thought about how she was going to fit in this dimension as nobody here had lekku like her and so that was going to be difficult to cover up. It wasn't like she could simply trim them off like a human could trim his or her hair! She slipped off the bed and went over to the window and looked out of it, noting that the stars did not even match patterns she knew of. The full force of the events concerning the last few hours hit her, and Ahsoka Tano suddenly let rip an almighty scream and fell to the ground and cried and cried and cried. Moments later the door to her room flung itself open and Hermione came rushing in. she saw Ahsoka on the floor crying her heart out, and she rushed over to comfort her.

"Everything is going to be alright" Hermione said soothingly, "You're safe now. Nothing is going to happen to you" and Hermione patted Ahsoka on the back softly, taking care to avoid the tails leading from her head. Harry came in seconds later and he smacked the light on.

"I did fear this" he said to Hermione who nodded in mute agreement. "I'll make you up a second bed here and you can keep her company" Harry added, and he conjured up a second bed for Hermione to use. Hermione's soft talking had calmed the troubled Togruta down, and Ahsoka apologised for being so much trouble.

"I'll find myself somewhere else to go, if you want me to leave" she offered.

"Don't be so silly" Hermione told her, "I'm sure you aren't any trouble. You've been through something that would challenge the strongest person. Get some sleep, and we'll sort you out" she told her, and the orange skinned girl nodded, was helped to her feet by Hermione and went over to her bed.

"Erm…" she said looking at Harry.

"Erm what?" Harry asked.

"Erm" Hermione said to him.

"Oh! Erm!" Harry replied, and he closed the door behind him as he left the room. Ahsoka was now certain about more thing about this place she could call home. Whatever dimension you was in; boys always got embarrassed by the idea of a girl undressing in front of them.

"So what will happen tomorrow?" Ahsoka asked Hermione, fear evident in her voice.

"Harry will go to court and apply for you to be a made a ward of his family – he did the same for me" Hermione added after a moment's hesitation.

"What do you mean?" asked Ahsoka.

"My parents where killed during the summer, and some people wanted me kicked out of the magical world. Harry applied to the courts for me to put under the Potter family's protection. But I can do whatever I want whenever I want… so long as it doesn't clash with anything important" Hermione told her.

"Sounds like a real friend" Ahsoka said, and Hermione could feel the smile through the darkness.

"Harry is quick to make friends, and quicker to help those in trouble" she said.

"You said before" remarked Ahsoka. The Padawan put her head down on the pillow and fell asleep very quickly, and she was not troubled by the ghosts of the dead whatsoever.

#

"Good Morning" Harry said brightly when Hermione led Ahsoka down to breakfast later that morning.

"Hello" Ahsoka said.

"Hi" Hermione greeted.

"I don't really know what you like" Harry said, "So I did a little bit of everything for you" and he gestured at the plates of food. Ahsoka decided to experiment and picked up an empty one and filled it with a little of everything. She actually liked it all, and Harry watched her with pride on his cooking ability as she wolfed down the lot. Without pause, the Padawan filled her plate again with larger portions and started to eat once again.

"This is brilliant" the girl announced after her seventh helping.

"Thanks" Harry said, and gave her a smile. "You don't have to worry about the courts because I've dealt with it already" and Ahsoka and Hermione both looked at Harry.

"And?" Hermione asked.

"They said yes" and Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and gave it to Hermione so both girls could have a read of it.

"Exactly what does it say?" asked Ahsoka – she couldn't read the language after all.

"It says that you are now under Harry's protection. Though after what I saw last night with Dumbledore, I would say that that is redundant" Hermione said. Harry suddenly had a thought and took his wand out from his robe pocket.

"You couldn't read that could you?" he asked Ahsoka, and Ahsoka shook her head, and this caused her tails to go in all directions.

"No" she said.

"Well us magic users can transfer memories from one person to another. What I'm going to do is to make a copy of all my memories concerning each and every word of the English language, and then transfer it to your mind. You'll be able to understand and read as well as me and Hermione. It isn't painful at all" he added, when he saw the look on Ahsoka's face.

"Alright" she nodded, and in a few moments Harry did the transfer and Ahsoka was able to read the parchment herself.

"Good stuff, magic I mean" Hermione grinned, and Ahsoka grinned right back at her.

"Now what do I do?" the new friend asked Harry and Hermione, "Do I stay in this house?" and Hermione looked at Harry before speaking.

"Now that you know how to read and write in our language, you can come to Hogwarts with us and learn. I think that all that Force stuff you told us about means you might be able to do magi. You seemed good at getting Dumbledore's wand off him, and he is a very experienced wizard. I'm called a witch in case you wondered" and Ahsoka thought for a while before replying.

"And I'll be still a Padawan. I'm 16 years old and so I'll wait until I turn 18 before I call myself a proper Jedi – not that it will mean much anyway" she added.

"Well then let me sort out the washing up, and then we'll take you somewhere where you can get your own wand" Harry said.

"Do you think that I could have a cup of that tea?" Ahsoka asked.

"A girl after my own heart" Harry and Hermione said at the same time, and Hermione played mother while Harry dealt with the dishes. Ahsoka watched them interact and knew that they seemed to be best friends, and now they extended that friendship towards Ahsoka herself – and they still didn't know everything about her. The Togrutan Padawan decided that she would be alright here, and then she accepted the cup of tea Hermione gave her.

#

It had taken a lot of persuasion from Harry and Hermione, but Professor McGonagall had agreed to admit Ahsoka Tano into Gryffindor House. Her first day was spent meeting her new classmates and meeting her new teachers. All in all it felt like Ahsoka was back in classes at the Jedi temple and Gryffindor accepted her as they always did a new person – but this time it was a little bit more caution. They soon warmed to her after an incident during lunch.

"So this is the freak that everyone has been talking about" came the drawl of Draco Malfoy from behind them.

"Been looking in the mirror again?" Harry asked him.

"Shut it scar head" Draco shot back.

"Why don't you just go away?" Hermione said.

"I wasn't talking to you, bloody mudblood" and Malfoy whipped out his wand and sent Hermione flying and she hit a stone wall. Harry tried to take his wand out, but he too was sent flying. Ahsoka knew a bully when she saw one, and she used the force to take his wand off him, whilst at the same time igniting her lightsaber which she wore under a cloak that she had borrowed off Hermione for the day. Everyone stood as they saw it activate, and they knew it was a weapon to be feared of. Before anyone could say or do anything, Ahsoka flung it around Draco's body – and some feared that she had just killed him. What she had actually done was to cut away all his robes so that they fell to the floor. Draco now stood in nothing more then his boxer shorts which had cute looking tiny kitten printed all over. Everyone burst into laughter as they saw Draco go bright red and then run away towards Slytherin house. Two identical boys – older then Ahsoka she quickly estimated – pushed through the laughing crowd and shook her hand.

"I'm Fred" said one of them.

"I'm George" replied the other.

"Welcome to Gryffindor House" they finished in unison.

**A/N:**

**Second chapter for you, and in the space of a day!**

**Special mention to Wonderbee31 who was the first person to review this fic. Thank you…**

**So Dumbledore, as you read, is not going to be nice in this fic. You might have guessed when he tried to have Ahsoka put under custody like he does Harry every year.**

**I had a question asking me if this was set in the third year. It's set in book six Harry Potter wise, but I'd like to know why JE nathan mentioned 3****rd**** year when I had made no mention of the time.**

**The bit about Griphook came to me while I was on the bus – and it was completely random. So that is why it is in. As for the ending, who wsan't secretly hopeing for something like that? Draco has just learned that you never piss off an upset Padawan.**

**I just wanted to clear up something about Ahsoka drinking the tea. In the Uk, if something bad happens, then you are given a cup of tea. Pet Hamster has just died? – TEA! Grandparents have died? – TEA! You've got a terminal illness and only have 4 minutes to live? (checks watch… got time) – TEA! To us members of the UK – tea is the solver of all life's problems.**

**Reviews in the normal manner please**

**Regards:**

**Pixel**


	3. Mistakes

**Mistakes and Christmas Gifts**

Harry and Hermione helped Ahsoka to catch up further, and the former Padawan learned to use magic – though the first attempts got cut short when Ahsoka set fire to the sofa. The Gryffindors seemed to accept her as one of their own; the only exceptions were Ron and Ginny Weasley. They blamed Harry for what had happened over the summer, and had now turned from their friend. Harry had responded to that by having a platoon of Goblins go into the Burrow and retrieve all that was Harry's. He also banned the entire Weasley family, Dumbledore and Snape from Grimmauld Place which had really annoyed Dumbledore. The bitterness expressed towards Harry was made greater after Ahsoka had arrived, but Harry simply ignored him and went about his business. The Friday after Ahsoka's appearance in the Gryffindor common room, the three of them – Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka – went to the _Three Broomsticks_ for a quiet little drink. Several customers looked at Ahsoka's odd appearance, but wisely said nothing when they saw she was with Harry Potter. He disliked using his fame, but Harry was able to get a quiet little table in the corner.

"So how is your first week?" Hermione asked Ahsoka.

"Alright, I guess" she replied, "That Flitwick reminded me of Master Yoda" the girl added.

"Little green guy, right?" Harry asked her.

"That's right" Ahsoka replied, and Harry noticed the look on her face, and so he changed the subject. Hermione beat him to it however.

"I'm looking forward to Christmas" she said, pointing out the snow though the window.

"Yeah" Harry said, and he took a swig of his butterbeer.

"Christmas?" asked Ahsoka. She had never heard of it before – certainly nobody had mentioned it to her. Saying that though, she had noticed people putting up decorations in the common room in Gryffindor Tower. Harry and Hermione did their best to tell her about it, and their new friend thought it was a good idea. After they had finished their drinks, the trio went off to Diagon Alley and Harry purchased a copy of '_A Christmas Carol_' for Ahsoka to read. They spent the next few weeks doing lessons where Ahsoka became much more proficient at spellwork. She had a good head for knowledge, and the three of them could often be found together reading books, doing homework or researching something interesting. The Monday before the school broke had notices announcing the last Hogsmeade trip that Wednesday. This allowed for people to get last minute presents or just have a nice day out. That afternoon had also given Ahsoka a new use for her lightsaber. Harry was having cheese and crackers when he discovered the knife was missing.

"Anyone seen it?" he asked the Gryffindor table.

"Sorry" came the universal reply.

"Allow me" Ahsoka said, and she activated the lightsaber and carefully cut the cheese into equal segments.

#

"Is it a good idea to let Ahsoka out on her own?" Hermione asked Harry.

"You don't trust her?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow at his bushy haired friend.

"Oh you know that is not it, Harry" Hermione protested, "But Ahsoka does not know everything about our world – despite the fact that we have helped her to fit in" and Harry saw she had a point.

"She'll be alright" he said. "I trust her to not start a war or anything" and Hermione noticed something in his tone of voice.

"You have a crush on her, don't you?" she accused him.

"No!" Harry said a little bit too quickly for Hermione's liking.

"You do" she accused him.

"Well maybe a little" Harry admitted, "And she is very beautiful. In fact" Harry continued, "I couldn't choose between the two of you" and Harry jumped up from his seat and went to his room. Hermione was pleased that Harry had found someone he liked a lot, and she knew that he deserved all of the happiness that he could get. Before she reached twelve, the sound of bedsprings could be distinctly heard. Hermione muttered to no-one, and then got up to make tea for herself.

#

The glamour charm helped Ahsoka to blend in with the muggles, and she had a good time as she went round London to pick up presents for Harry, Hermione and the others she was friends with. On the way back, she went down a side street and started to smell the odour of Ryshcate leaves. She was overjoyed to discover something that was from her own place, and Harry and Hermione might not have known about it – the shop being where it was. She brought a few hundred pounds worth and was determined to bake several cakes for the Gryffindors and a few members of the other houses to eat before they all broke up for the holidays. Ahsoka spent some time in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place and baked several cakes while adding the herbs she had brought from the little shop. Hermione put them under a preserving charm until they would be eaten.

#

The school had ended for the year, and in the Gryffindor common room, many students gathered for a little party. Harry was throwing it with his own money and he didn't mind a little bit. Ahsoka's three two and a half foot cakes sat on the edges of the common room and people took slices. They all said it was quite good for someone who had only spent a little time in their world, but as people ate more and more, they got more and more prone to bursts of giggles. In the end, most of the students at the party just had big smiles on their faces while they lay on the floor – Ahsoka included.

#

"Care to take me on, Potter?" sneered Malfoy as he saw his rival heading towards him.

"DRACIE POOS!" Harry said, and ran over to Malfoy, hugged him tightly and kissed the blond Slytherin on the lips. When he opened his mouth to protest, Harry shoved his tongue down the Slytherin's throat. Malfoy pushed Harry away from him and then stunned him. While he would be the first to be glad over something that had happened to Harry, it was not like a sick Harry to kiss him like a lover. Cursing Merlin himself, he levitated Harry into the air and floated him towards Professor McGonagall's office.

"Theres something wrong with Potter, Professor" Draco said as he went into McGonagall's office.

"What do you mean?" asked the head of Gryffindor – recovering from the shock of Malfoy _assisting_ Harry.

"I found him in the corridor near charms and he came over to me, hugged me tightly and then kissed me like a lover!" Malfoy said. "This isn't something that those Weasley twins would do" and then he saw McGonagall's expression. "What?" he asked.

"Mr Potter isn't the only one to have suffered from something like this" she informed him, and they set off for the Hospital Wing with Harry in tow.

#

"Do you have any idea what this might be?" asked Dumbledore. Members of three different houses had all been affected in varying degrees of _something_. He and McGonagall looked at the Great Hall which had been turned into a large hospital wing.

"Yes, Headmaster" Pomfrey replied, looking up from Hermione. Hermione was smiling with a grin that would have given the chesuire cat a run for its money.

"And what is it?" asked an anxious McGonagall.

"Miss Tano was the first to come round – I suspect from her different genetics. She got me some of the left over herbs she had placed in cakes" Pomfrey said.

"And?" asked Dumbledore and McGonagall at the same time. Pomfrey briefly wondered what would be their reactions to the news she would now impart.

"It was Cannabis".

**A/N:**

**Now ***_**THAT'S**_*** a first for fanfiction . net**

**A school f****ull of drug addicts!**

**Reviews in normal manner**

**Pixel**

**Merry Christmas**

Part 1 of 3 releases


	4. Jumping The Shark

**Jump****ing The Shark**

After Madam Pomfrey had cured the affected students of the effects of cannabis, they packed up all of their things ready for the trip to London. Ahsoka watched and listened to the other students talking about the holiday. After being told by Harry and Hermione, the Padawan felt a little sad. She had always considered the Jedi order as her family but they had to have all died. The last she knew, Master Kenobi was off on some planet as well as Master Yoda. It had upset her at times, but then she considered herself lucky that she had been able to end up finding Harry and Hermione, and the trio had become firm friends. Because of her different appearance to everyone else, she had been called a few names, but a display of her abilities almost always stopped them.

"You coming?" asked Harry.

"Sorry, Harry" Ahsoka said, "Just thinking about those people I knew from the Jedi order. I wish that I could see them again, but I know that that is impossible" the girl added.

"Well you found yourself a new family" Harry said, and he gave her a hug, getting the tendrils from Ahsoka's head in his way. Ahsoka levitated the trunks into the air by using the force – she could never call it magic - and she and Harry went to meet Hermione who was waiting for them at the entrance hall.

"I got Professor McGonagall to hold the last carriage for us" the bushy haired witch said.

"Good old McGonagall" Harry laughed, and the three of them loaded and boarded the carriage which took them to the station. Ahsoka had never seen the Hogwarts express before, and the other two people with her chuckled at her expression. Harry had made arrangements for the Weasley twins to keep people out of the front most compartments. This was normally used by the prefects, but the twins threatened the use of Ahsoka on them. The trio spent the journey to London talking about the holiday, and they would be spending the time together. The witch with the food trolley came round at lunch and they ate and drank the rest of the trip. After they arrived at Kings Cross, the three of them took a taxi to Grimmauld place where they dumped their trunks in the entrance hall. After a refreshing cup of tea each, Harry set about making dinner for them all. Hermione took the trunks upstairs while Ahsoka went to her room to meditate. The Padawan closed her eyes, lowered her breathing and let her mind flow free.

#

"So what have you got for Ahsoka then?" asked Hermione.

"Just a dress, some jewellery and some books" Harry said.

"Well a good start" replied his oldest female friend.

"There is also something else" Harry said, "But that is for Christmas Day" and he refused to say anything else on the matter. Part of Hermione's mind went into 'Investigation Mode' as she tried to figure out what he was planning. After a while, Hermione went upstairs to tell Ahsoka it was dinner time, but Ahsoka wasn't finished so she waited respectfully.

#

_Ahsoka was back in the Jedi Temple and she could hear the screams of all the different types of Jedi being killed. Even though the clone troops stood everywhere, they couldn't see her at all. She walked past them and along the corridors and passages, and then she came __upon a crumpled pile of clothes. When she reached it, the Padawan knelt down and turned it over. The charred body of a youngling looked up at her._

"Why didn't you come and help us?" asked the youngling, "If you hadn't gone away then you could have saved some of us" _and Ahsoka looked as the blood poured out of hundreds of blaster holes, and the young woman screamed._

_And screamed_

_And screamed_

#

Hermione saw a speeding black haired bullet tear past her as they ran to see what was the matter with Ahsoka. She found Harry holding the Togrutan close to him, with one arm around her shoulders – not touching the tendrils – and the other making soothing circles on her back. He had done much the same thing when she had been told of her parent's death. If she was asked, Hermione Jane Granger would have admitted to jealousy in a small part over the attention that Ahsoka was getting. If only she could get a look in…

#

The three of them entered the big room, and Harry smiled at the two girls reactions to the decorations. Being up until three in the morning was well worth it to see their faces light up. He could have done it with magic, but he preferred to do it mainly in the muggle ways. The tree blinked with a mixture of muggle lights as well as charmed candles, and the light glinted off the baubles. Tinsel ran around the ceiling edge interspaced with the lights, and it was then that he pointed to the underside of the tree. Several wrapped presents sat under the green leaves of the Christmas tree, and the two girls went over. Harry poured himself a small drop of Firewhiskey (1981 vintage) and slammed it in one – purely for medicinal reasons of course. He had, after all, received a paper cut whilst doing the wrapping paper. The two girls tore into the gifts and squealed with delight as they looked at what they had got. Hermione received the complete collection of Hogwarts related books – signed by Harry himself, new quills and some necklaces which made the wearer immune to stunners and some jinxes. Ahsoka received the same books – to help her get better adjusted to the wizarding world, some quills, parchment, and her own broomstick. Hermione didn't have one as she always took the floo, Knight Bus or rode with Harry on his broomstick.

"Thank you, Harry" chorused the pair to Harry.

"You're welcome" he told them, and then started on his own pile of gifts. From Hermione, he had received some books (from her that was a given), a broomstick care and maintenance kit, a necklace like hers and a leather book filled with photographs off their times together. The pictures were both magical and non magical. He also was given a set of quidditch armour to wear during matches. Ahsoka had not known what to get Harry, so she had opted to create several Jedi related items for him. It had taken some time to do, but she had managed to make him a lightsaber. She had taken her lightsaber apart and asked one of the Professors at Hogwarts to see if there was anything like it on the planet. There was indeed something like it, but after careful testing by Ahsoka and McGonagall, it was found that it held only a quarter of the power of Ahsoka's. It was the same size as the padawan's though, so the parts could be made for both weapons. Apart from that, he had also got some metal armour that looked like the stuff which clone troopers got issued with. Memories of the massacre in the temple flooded her mind until she blocked them from her mind. Because of the still mostly unknown nature of Ahsoka's power sources, she was given a classroom to herself to create the gifts. McGonagall had copied the book she had brought with her when she escaped, and Ahsoka promised to teach Harry and Hermione the language – even though she could understand them when speaking. They ate and drank without fear of being attacked by anyone on either the light or dark side, and it wasn't until the afternoon that Harry had something to ask. Hermione looked to see him fidgeting around on his chair, and she looked at his face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him. Ahsoka watched on with interest. She hadn't noticed anything wrong – even through the force – but then Hermione had known Harry longer then she had. There was also the slight matter that Harry and Hermione couldn't be read through the force. This actually had disturbed Ahsoka at first, but she realised that nothing terrible had happened to her since her arrival.

"There was something I wanted to ask you both" Harry said in reply, and he went over to where they both sat. "A while ago, Hermione asked me a question. I didn't give her an entirely truthful answer, so this is a good time to say the real answer" and the girls looked at each other.

"Oh my…" they both said as Harry dropped to one knee and opened two magically appearing boxes.

"Ahsoka Tano, Hermione Granger. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wives?"

**A/N:**

**Well as I have had this frozen for a while, I decided to give you what I have here. As it skips several things and points in time, I decided to call this Jumping The Shark – yes! Making fun at myself. Several of you will be happy at the ending though I am sure.**

**Now, as it seems to be awards season, I'm joining in the spirit of the occasion. Below are some awards to those users who truly deserve them:**

**Biggest Ass Kisser – Scout-01 **_**Review he left for Three of Eight (the one I co author)**_

**Person who took the most time to review a chapter – Miz636**

**Most annoying reviewer – **mirage

**Person who was physically sick by a plot – Scout-01 (**you know which one I mean!)

**Longest reviewers – **_**jointly**_** The Submaruder and slashslut**

**Most reviews in one go – Miz636**

**Most annoying reviewer: Beth 5572**

**Greatest Writer of all fanfiction – Pixel And Stephanie Forever**

**Biggest Idiots of all time - ARGENTINA! **

**There you go – the first annual Pixel awards!**

**As some or all of you might know, I am holding a poll on my homepage to determine who dies in an upcoming chapter of "Leaving Home". Some of you didn't get the chance to vote as it hasn't appeared on my homepage – so now you can vote. Not saying who, but one person has no votes whatsoever when I last checked.**

**As this has now been released, my fanfic status board has been updated accordingly.**

**Regards**

**Pixel**

**God Save The Queen**


	5. Attack on Hermione

**Attack on Hermione**

The rest of the holidays passed in a state of complete happiness, and the group spent as much time as possible together. The evening before the trio returned to Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione invited some of their friends around. The first to arrive were Hannah, Susan and Neville. Hannah and Susan were the best of friends, and Neville had been at Susan's house to look at some rare plants. The next to arrive were Dean and Seamus. The pair had been watching West Ham play Tottenham Hotspur at home. The Patil twins and Lavender came next and were followed up quickly by Luna and the Weasley twins. Once everyone had a seat and a glass of Firewhiskey – Harry could do that on account he really didn't give a damn – Harry addressed them all.

"I've asked you all here this evening to tell you about some important news. By now you all know about how Ahsoka came to be with us at Hogwarts, and how I gave her a home. To cut a long story short, on Christmas Day I asked both Hermione and Ahsoka to be my wives" he said, and all the girls gasped and rushed over to get better looks at the ring on Hermione and Ahsoka's fingers. The male members of the party came to shake Harry's hand, said how much a lucky bugger he was for bagging two beautiful girls and then had a little party to celebrate the fact.

"Dumbledore will not like this" said Susan to Harry.

"Oh?" Harry turned to face her.

"Auntie told me he wants Ahsoka arrested so they can perform experiments on her" the blond Hufflepuff said.

"Well that's tough" Harry replied, and Susan nodded.

"I agree, Harry, but from what I've heard, Dumbledore is passing a bill that restricts magic to only humans. No offence to Ahsoka" Susan added, "But she isn't human" and Harry understood her point. If Ahsoka could get away from being arrested for a small thing, then Dumbledore would turn the law against her.

"Isn't there any way I could stop that from happening?" he asked.

"Well if you was to get married, then you could claim any arrest was an attack on your family" Susan informed him. "Tell McGonagall though – she seems a good sort. Besides – you're a Gryffindor and you need her help" and then the blond turned back to talk to Hannah. Harry considered what she had said, but then put it to the back of his mind as he overheard Ahsoka and Dean compare battle strategies. When it was time for them to leave, they all promised to keep it a secret from Dumbledore for as long as they possibly could.

#

Harry, Hermione, Ahsoka and their friends managed to get a compartment to themselves on the ride back to Hogwarts, and Harry enjoyed the ride for the first time in a while.

"I've been thinking" Hermione said, "Should we really keep it a secret from all the Professors? Couldn't we just tell McGonagall?" she asked.

"She does seem like a nice person" Ahsoka agreed.

"I guess so" Harry said after thinking about it, "But what if Dumbledore finds out? And I don't think this will go down well with Ron and Ginny" he added. The two youngest Weasleys had always been trying to get Harry and Hermione to be with them. Ron wanted Hermione's body, and Ginny for Harry's money and fame.

"Yes, that might be a problem" said Neville. "A pity that you couldn't sleep in the married suite" he added. Everyone else stopped to look at him in surprise.

"What suite?" asked Hermione.

"Just something that my Gran told me once" Neville said. "Years ago, when marriages took place when both parties were much younger, married couples would live in their own chambers. It was used for couples who were betrothed as well" and Hermione frowned. _That_ was never in Hogwarts: A History!

"I remember that" Susan said. "My Aunt said something about that when I was about to start Hogwarts. Maybe you could move in there. At least it would get you away from the terrible twosome" the red haired girl said.

"We'll ask her after the welcome back feast" said Harry.

#

"That is out of the question, Mr Potter" said Dumbledore. He had found out because Ron had seen the trio enter the private chambers.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Because you were sorted into Gryffindor House, and that is where you will go" the headmaster said. "As for your future life, I have made out a marriage contract between you and Ginny Weasley. By placing you with a good family, you will stay firmly on the light side" and Harry snorted.

"I'm not getting married to Ginny, I am going to live in those chambers and I am going to sleep" he said.

"If you do not do as you are told, then I will expel Miss Granger" Dumbledore said. Harry's face dropped into one of complete darkness and thunder.

"If you do anything towards Hermione, I will leave this school for good and never return" Harry said, and Dumbledore just smiled.

"You'll learn to control your emotions, Mr Potter" the man said, "Now I suggest that you go spend time with Miss Weasley. I believe you will find her in the forth floor broom cupboard" and Harry shook his head.

"I wouldn't touch Ginny Weasley with a forty foot barge pole" and he turned and walked off.

"COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Dumbledore's voice echoed down the corridor. He was about to cast something on Harry when Ahsoka came out of the shadows and activated her lightsaber. With a quick flick of her wrist his beard fell to the floor.

"Don't" she warned, and turned to catch up with Harry.

#

"What did he say?" asked Hermione.

"He said no" Harry replied.

"He actually tried to cast a spell on Harry" Ahsoka said.

"WHAT? What happened?" Hermione began to panic.

"I cut off his beard" said the Padawan, and she patted her lightsaber with affection.

"Oh dear" Hermione calmed down again.

"We will have to watch our backs" Harry warned, "With Ron and Ginny trying to attack us, life is going to be much harder. I don't think we'll be able to go into the Gryffindor common room again" he added.

"What about Quidditch?" Hermione said.

"I don't know" said Harry. "If I kicked him off the team, Dumbledore would only put him back on again. Practices are going to be hard to do as well" and Harry slumped into an armchair. There was nothing he could do short of killing Ron and Ginny, but he didn't want it to come to that. If they attacked either Hermione or Ahsoka then he could call them out in a duel. But he hoped that wouldn't happen.

#

Without Dumbledore's permission the trio couldn't move in, and this caused problems whenever Harry wanted some private time with Ahsoka and Hermione. As if that wasn't enough, Snape had booked the Quidditch pitch for Slytherin fours nights in a row. The team only used it for half an hour, and none of the other teams could use it after they had finished. Harry suspected that Snape had done it in culusion with Dumbledore – something the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw captains agreed with. This was why Harry booked the pitch with the reason being he wanted to train his reserve players. The "reserve" consisted of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teams practicing. Several of the muggle born and half blood students joked to Harry about them having to run under enemy colours, but they promised to help out the Gryffindor team for what he had done. Towards the end of the practice session, Ron, seething over the fact Hermione refused to spend time with him, pulled out his wand and blasted her off the broom she was sitting on.

"MIONE!" Harry saw the spell hit her and pushed his Firebolt into action. Before he could reach her, Ahsoka used the force to slow her speed down, but it was still a rough landing.

"Wasn't fast enough" she said as she went over to Hermione's side. The girl was in a lot of pain, and Ahsoka could tell she had broken her arm and leg, and she watched as Harry held her hand and said everything was going to be alright.

"Who did it?" he asked. Several of them pointed to Ron who was just landing. "Stay with Hermione until Pomfrey gets here" Harry growled. He got up and stalked towards the red haired boy, and hate and anger began to fill his mind. "Weasley!" Harry shouted.

"What can I do for you, Pot…" Ron turned and met with Harry's fist. He went flying backwards with a broken nose, and then he felt himself being lifted up by the throat and slammed against the stands.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK HERMIONE!" Harry could be heard over the entire pitch and some of the grounds. "What gives you the right to do that?" and he slammed his fist into the other boy's stomach.

"MR POTTER!" Harry heard McGonagall calling out to him. "Put Mr Weasley down this very instant, and explain what is going on" Harry did so reluctantly and told his head of house exactly what had happened. "Did anyone else see this?" she enquired. A number of people said they had seen Ron send something from his wand, and that was what had caused Hermione to fall off her broom.

"I only did it to defend myself" said Ron.

"Really?" McGonagall doubted his story. "Get cleaned up and then go to Madam Pomfrey. After that, I want you to go to my office and wait for me. And you are banned from playing Quidditch at this school until I tell you otherwise" and Ron turned and walked off. "As for you" she said to a furious Harry, "I am displeased that you could not wait until I had been informed of what had happened. Your previous issues with Mr Weasley are well known, and he may have done the attack in order to provoke you. Twenty points from Gryffindor" and then McGonagall said, in a low voice, "Nicely done" and then went to Hermione's assistance.

#

"Ah, Mr Potter!" said Dumbledore. "I thought I would find you here" and he came into the Gryffindor common room. "I was hoping we could have a talk in private" and Harry snorted.

"I was hoping that we would not" he replied. "Whatever you have to say, I would like it said in front of the house" and Dumbledore looked at him oddly.

"As you wish" he said. "I have talked to Mr Weasley, and he has assured me that he was under the impression that Miss Granger was about to attack him. The hundred points taken by Professor McGonagall have been restored, and I have placed him back on the Gryffindor Quidditch team" and there was silence.

"He will not be on the team" Harry said simply, "Not after attacking someone who wasn't even near him or attacking the idiot. As captain, I am removing him from the team" and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"In this case, Mr Potter, you have no choice in the matter. You are ordered to have him back" the headmaster ordered. Harry looked him in the eyes and made a decision that would wound him deeply.

"I will not have him on the team" and Dumbledore started to get angry.

"You will do as you are told" he said, but Harry refused to do so.

"This is my resignation as Captain" and he threw a folded piece of parchment over to the older wizard. "And don't try to burn it up because I made lots more" Harry added, and he got up and opened the portrait door. "I don't believe we have anything to say to each other. Good day" and Dumbledore left and went back to his office to see what he could do about Harry. By the time he had got to the stone gargoyles, he found nearly a dozen other letters from people all resigning from the Gryffindor quidditch team. If Harry was not going to come under his wing by himself, then he would have to move to the potions stage.

"Scylla" he called out, and a house elf popped into view. "Fetch me Mr and Miss Weasley" and the elf vanished. As he waited for the two Weasleys, he started to think about what to do with Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka. Harry would be Ginny's and Ron would get Hermione to with as they pleased. As for Ahsoka, he would turn her over to the Unspeakables as he knew they would want to get their hands on her, cut the girl up and see what made her tick


	6. TLSFFA

**The Little Short Fan Fic Addition**

Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka were deep into planning their wedding when they discovered that Dumbledore had banned Ahsoka from attending lessons. This resulted in the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs in Harry and Hermione's year to form picket lines in front of Snape's classroom and office. This lasted for several hours until Dumbledore reversed his decision, but the trio knew that he was making a point- if Dumbledore wanted, he could stop Ahsoka from going to lessons or have her removed from the castle. This caused Harry and Hermione to make enquiries concerning the three of them transferring to another school – Seamus recommended Shamrock Academy in Ireland, but the Wizendgamot passed a law that same week requiring all British persons to attend Hogwarts.

"I am beginning to suspect a spy in our house" Hermione said.

"Well I don't think it's the boys" Harry said.

"Its Ron and Ginny Weasley" Ahsoka said as she opened her eyes.

"How can you tell?" asked Hermione.

"I am a Jedi – I can read minds" the Padawan said.

"Oh"

"That and the fact that both of them have been writing down everything we say with the automatic quills of yours" Ahsoka pointed to the corner of the common room where they saw the youngest Weasleys busily at work. They went together over to them where both teenagers went a deadly shade of pale.

"Why are you spying on us?" Hermione asked the pair.

"We're not" said Ginny hotly.

"So what is this?" and Harry reached forward and grabbed a piece of parchment that had a list of things which had been said by the trio.

"That's ours" said Ron quickly.

"I thought you said you weren't spying on us" Ahsoka commented calmly and flat toned.

"Er….Um…." went the youngest Weasleys. Harry, Ahsoka and Hermione walked away from them, but the pair drew their wands on the trio and cast spells.

"_Impedimeta._"

"_Stupify._"

The spell almost hit them, but they spun round and Harry and Hermione deflected the spells while Ahsoka used the Force to snatch the wands from the hands of their attackers. There was silence in the common room as the Gryffindors watched an attack take place – committed by one of their own on a hero and heroine of the wizarding world. Ahsoka was treated as just another witch – a large reddish orange witch who had a cool weapon, but a normal witch all the same. At that moment, Dumbledore walked in with Professors McGonagall and Snape in tow.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr Potter and Miss Granger?" he asked.

"Ron and Ginny attacked us after Ahsoka said they were spying on us" Hermione said.

"And you attacked them?" sneered Snape. "How typical of Potter and Granger. And as for _it_…" he left the rest unsaid.

"I would be quiet if I was you, Severus" said McGonagall.

"My dear Minerva, Professor Snape is entitled to free speech" Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes.

"Yes… yes of course" McGonagall murmured.

"Well I see three people with hate on their faces and two frightened students. It is clear that these three attacked Mr and Miss Weasley" said Dumbledore. "They shall serve detention with Professor Snape tonight and for the next three nights" and there was a low level mutter drifting around the common room.

"But they attacked us" Ahsoka said.

"And we defended ourselves and didn't use spells on them" Hermione added.

"Now that is where we have the problem" Dumbledore said. "I am the Headmaster, and you are just students. Now you will do your detentions or the penalties will be worse" but Harry snorted.

"You are only Headmaster so long as the Governors want you to be" he said. "If memory serves, Mr Malfoy really wanted you out of here – Umbridge too…" and Dumbledore nearly exploded.

"You will do your punishment or you will be suspended for a week. And while we are at it, I am taking all of your house points away from you. You will not be allowed to earn anymore and I shall tell the other Professors that" and as he, McGonagall and Snape left, everyone could see the almost manic gleam in Snape's eyes.

# # # # #

"Harry?" a voice called out to him.

"Yes, Mione?" he answered.

"McGonagall came round and handed us our suspension notices" and Hermione handed over an official looking piece of parchment. Upon inspection, Harry saw it had suspended him for a week for rule breaking.

"I say that we just pack up and leave here" Harry said after a while.

"Where do you think we should go?" Hermione enquired. "America? New Zealand?"

"I was thinking about going to live at Grimmauld Place. I mean we have our OWLs, so at least we can get jobs. Then again we never have to work because of all the money I have in my vaults" and Hermione and Ahsoka admitted he had a point. "Lets go then" and they went upstairs to pack their things into their trunks. As they did so, Ron ran out of the common room to fetch Dumbledore who arrived with McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick.

"You will go to your dorms NOW!" Dumbledore said firmly.

"I have never been so ashamed of Gryffindors such as yourselves" McGonagall said.

"We are leaving" Hermione said.

"You will do as I say because I am your guardian" said Dumbledore turning red.

"We're going" Harry repeated Hermione's statement. As they went for the portrait hole, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape whipped out their wands and started firing spells off. Ahsoka heard them coming and spun round whilst activating her lightsaber. Swinging it this way and that, the Padawan deflected the spells all the way in a pitched running battle to the main entrance where Harry and Hermione summoned brooms for the trio. A spell came too close to hitting Hermione in the chest, and Harry let rip with a powerful blasting hex that barely sipped his magical limit. As the attackers dealt with the dust and debris that swirled around them, Harry Hermione and Ahsoka mounted the brooms and flew down to the gates, flew out of them, and then apperated away – Ahsoka holding on to Hermione.

Dumbledore stormed back to his office with the plan of getting Harry back. If the two girls died while tat happened, then he would blame it all on Harry and have him locked in Azkaban.

**A/N:**

**I know I said it was only two fics today, but I decided to polish this – gave up eating Christmas dinner to do it as well!**

**This chapter is dedicated to XRaiderV1 and Ahsoka Tano – sexiest Jedi ever to have been…**

**I will do a full length 4000 word plus chapter in the new year, but Pixel would like a little time off if that is alright with you…**

**I thought I would also share this little gem with you – according to **_**this**_** website, the Bible is eligible to have fanfics written about it. I skipped through it and saw a Jesus/Pilate slash which just made me laugh.**

**Anyways, If you are still celebrating Christmas, then I hope you enjoy the rest of it!**

**Regards**

**Santa PIxel**


	7. Money Meddling

**Money Meddling**

They slept in bed for quite some time until Hermione woke the others up – she being the first to arise. After taking a collective shower – supposedly to save money, they had a breakfast of eggs and bacon – something Ahsoka seemingly liked a lot since her arrival. As they finished, the floo in the kitchen fireplace burst into life and out popped several large folders and letters. There were a few packets as well, and Hermione collected them all up and put them on the table. Most of them bore the Ministry of Magic seal, three had Hogwarts seals and the packets bore the Gringotts crest.

"More mail then I ever received in a day" Harry said. He reached over and took one of the Ministry letters and gasped as he read the contents.

"What?" asked Ahsoka quickly.

"It's a sodding Tax demand" Harry said, and Hermione laughed the tension which had built up in her from the fear. She picked up the most official letter from the Ministry and handed it to Harry who opened it.

"What is it?" asked Hermione. Harry's hand was shaking as he handed the letter to her.

"Its an order from the Ministry to turn over Ahsoka to the Ministry for her to be cut up and examined" Harry said darkly. Ahsoka gasped at the same time as Hermione did.

"They can't do that to me. Or can they?" asked Ahsoka. The Togrutan girl was happy with her life with Harry and Hermione, and she didn't want anything to happen which would take her away from them. They were her friends and soon to be her family.

"Unfortunately they can" Hermione said. "The Ministry passes laws like this all the time. If they want something, they'll get it by whatever means necessary. I'll try to come up with something, but I don't know a lot of Magical Law…" but Ahsoka placed a hand on Hermione's to pause her.

"You'll do your best, I know you will" and she gave her Sister-Wife-To-Be a kiss on the cheek. As they talked, Harry opened the other letters and packets which turned out to be a solution to their problem, although they didn't know that for some time.

"Is there anyone we can contact for help?" Hermione said.

"We could always get hold of Susan's Aunt. She knows the law like the back of her hand" Harry said. "Or least that's what Susan says" he added. They went over the remaining post and decided that a trip to Gringotts was in order. Ahsoka had to make a quick trip up to her room in order to pick up a few things first, but then they all took a floo trip to the _Leaky Cauldron_.

# # # # #

"He has been seen in the _Leaky Cauldron_" said a breathless Dung.

"Are you certain?" asked Dumbledore.

"Saw 'em with me own eyes" the other man replied.

"Alert members of the Order, tell them to find Harry and bring him back – by force if needed" and Dung nodded and left Dumbledore to his plotting. He wasn't sure why they would be going to the wizarding pub, but then he thought they might be shopping for supplies. For that they would need to visit the bank and take out some mon… Dumbledore nearly had a heart attack when he realised what could happen. He grabbed his wand, sent Fawkes out with a message and then hurried down to the school gates to apperate to Diagon Alley. As he did so, he hoped he would be in time to stop what would happen.

# # # # #

Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka were led to a small and comfortable office where they waited. They didn't know what was going on, but the goblin they spoke to had been bothered somewhat.

"I wonder whats up" Hermione said.

"Goblins are not normally like this" Harry agreed. "Wonder if its anything to do with…" Harry was cut off by the door opening and in walked a familiar Goblin.

"I am glad to see you, Mr Potter" said Griphook.

"I have no idea why" Harry said. "All I wanted to do was to get some money out of my vault" and to the trio's surprise Griphook sighed and muttered something under his breath.

"This will not be easy to explain" he began, "But I will do my best. Your parents left both joint and separate wills behind. In it was contained details of who you were supposed to be left with in the event your parents died. According to this" Griphook glanced through parchment, "You were supposed to go live with a Mr Sirius Black. If Mr Black was unable to look after you, then there are a number of people ranging from Amelia Bones to Captain Marko Ramius of the former Soviet Navy. Under no circumstances were you to be placed with your muggle relatives" and Harry became a little angry.

"But I was, and spent years of my life abused by the Dursleys" he said. "Why wasn't I sent to Madam Bones or someone else on the list?" he asked.

"Professor Dumbledore overrode the wills and claimed that you would be in danger if you went to anyone else but your relatives" Griphook replied. "He placed blood wards on the house which is surprising when you don't get a criminal record as a baby" and Hermione frowned.

"Blood wards are to be used only for criminals who agree to house arrest in place of Azkaban" she said.

"WHAT!" said Harry in surprise. "You mean Dumbledore kept me there time after time after time?"

"Indeed" Griphook said. "According to the will of Mr Black, you were to be emancipated upon your reaching the age of 12. Clearly this has not been followed through. I have the paperwork with me here for you to sign" and Harry nearly ripped the quill from Griphook and made his mark. "Now that you've been emancipated, I can take you down to your vault for the first time" and Harry frowned this time.

"But I have already been there" he said.

"Not these ones" replied the Goblin. "You've now got control of the Potter family vaults as well as a number of properties. You also have control of the Black family vaults as well – this from Mr Black's will. I am surprised you know nothing of this" added Griphook.

"I didn't" Harry said. "Though I am beginning to suspect that Dumbledore did" but Griphook shook his head.

"I mean its surprising you don't know anything even though you have been signing permission slips for a fair few number of years now" and he went on to explain what had happened over the years. As the trio listened to the story, they became convinced that Dumbledore had been stealing from Harry and the Potter family vaults as a whole. As Griphook was talking to Harry about the money he now had, Ahsoka jumped into the air, twisted round and withdrew her main weapon just as the door opened.

"Senior Teller. You must stop these proceedings at once" Dumbledore said. "Mr Potter and Miss Granger do not have my permission to be here. Mr Potter is also not supposed to know certain things until he is older" he added.

"Agh, go boil ya head" Griphook said, letting his bank voice slip for a moment and reverting to a Yorkshire accent.

"Excuse me?" Dumbledore said. "I remind you that you are talking to the Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwomp. How dare you speak to me like that. I suggest that you remove that weapon from my face, Miss Tano or you shall be punished most severely" and Ahsoka hesitated for a moment before turning off her lightsaber.

"You have some explaining to do, Dumbledore" Harry said. "Like why you didn't carry out the wishes of my parents" he added.

"Your parents asked me to do this for your greater good" Dumbledore said. "They simply didn't have time to change their wills before his death. Now you will return with me to Hogwarts. I will decide when you are ready to learn what is in your parents wills"

"I am afraid that is where you are wrong" said Hermione. "Harry has signed his emancipation papers and is now free to do what he wants. And we need to have a talk regarding money taking from his family vaults" she added.

"That was taken for the use of the Order" Dumbledore said. "I am sure your parents would not have minded that much" he finished.

"We'll never know that" Harry said, "But I do know this. I want all of the money taken from me and my family vaults to be returned by midnight tonight or I will begin proceedings against you" and the professor thought for a moment then stepped to one side and allowed Tonks, Mr and Mrs Weasley and Lupin into the room.

"Take Harry back to Hogwarts at once" Dumbledore ordered. "And his friends too. I will stay here and deal with this mess he has put us in" but the trio laughed.

"You'll do no such thing" Ahsoka said. "I will destroy any person that comes between myself and my friends" in reply, Tonks drew her wand and stunned Ahsoka before she could react.

"I suggest you come with me" Dumbledore said, "Before anyone else gets hurt" but at that moment more footsteps were heard behind him, and Dumbledore and his party turned to see Madam Bones with a couple of Aurors following behind her.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

"Dumbledore assaulted one of my friends" Harry said. "Apart from that, he has been stealing from my family vaults for over a decade and a half. I only recently came upon this information when my family's advisor told me so. The bank is now going over what was taken from me so everything is fair" he finished.

"Amelia… you must see that Mr Potter and Miss Granger have to return with me at once. They are in grave danger if they don't come back" Dumbledore said.

"I refuse to do what I am told by Professor Dumbledore unless it is a school matter" Harry said. "I have signed my emancipation papers and am therefore not under his control anymore. For the moment, I want him and his Order to get out of this office" and Madam Bones led Dumbledore and the others out of the office after promising that he would be contacted by her later on.

"As much as that was interesting" said Griphook, "I rather think that you should revive your friend" and Harry and Hermione blushed as they brought Ahsoka round and told her what had happened.

"Give me five seconds with him" she begged.

"I couldn't allow that to happen. I know for a fact that the cleaners hate clearing up blood stains" Griphook chuckled. "Now while we've been talking, I have had figures gathered up by others. They have told me by charmed parchment. According to early figures, your account has had several million Galleons withdraw over a decade and a half" Griphook said.

"And who" Harry kept that side of calm, "And who was the money given to?" he asked.

"The money was given to Dumbledore, something called the Order, the Dursley family and some others. The Weasleys also got money since August 1991, and this continued to the present day. It also seems that a large amount was given to Hogwarts school funds. We are ready to retrieve that money the moment you give us the word" Griphook said.

"Get it all back except that from Hogwarts" Harry said. "I will not deprive muggleborns from an education they wouldn't otherwise afford. Apart from that, do whatever it is you do. We'll have to go back to Hogwarts I suppose, and Dumbledore will not be best pleased when he finds out what I've done" and after getting various keys, Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka went out the bank and headed for lunch in a very public place.

# # # # #

Molly Weasley was cleaning round the house like she always did. With all of her children currently away at school or their jobs, she was doing some tidying. Her husband was enjoying a day off and was reading the paper when an Owl came flying in through the window and landed in front of him. He took the letter from its pouch before the Owl left a message of its own and went away. Mrs Weasley took the letter from her husband, opened it and went into a state of shock and anger.

"What is it, Molly-Wobbles?" asked Mr Weasley.

"Gringotts are demanding that we pay money to Harry Potter. They say that we have been stealing from his account, and now the brat is demanding it all back again. After all we did for him in looking after him all summer long" Mrs Weasley grew angry. Both of them flooed over to Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts where they found that a number of others were also in the same situation.

# # # # #

"We thought your escape plan would have lasted longer then this" said Neville.

"So did we, but we found things out that made us come back" Hermione said.

"Such as?" asked the boy.

"You'll find out sooner or later" Harry said, and as if in reply to that statement, the common room door opened and McGonagall walked in asking for Harry to come with her to Dumbledore's office. He followed her after assuring his two girls that he would be safe enough for a meeting. Ten minutes later, he was faced by an irate pair of Weasleys, Snape, Lupin, Dumbledore, Griphook and a Healer from St Mungos'.

"Come in, my boy" Dumbledore said.

"I am not your boy" Harry said. "Did you not hear of the Emancipation Proclimation?"

"I don't like Hip-Hop" Dumbledore replied.

"Just call me Mr Potter" Harry said, and seeing there was no chair for him, he simply conjured one up for himself – a nice big leather comfy one with little Routemasters driving all over it. "I assume that this isn't to talk about my sandwich making skills" he added.

"Indeed" said Dumbledore. "It has come to our attention that you have asked for all the monies taken from your family vaults to be returned. I must ask you to reconsider this" but Harry shook his head.

"I don't think so" Harry replied. "You are asking me to forget the massive fraud and theft that has been going on for over a decade? You can go smoke it" and Snape glared at him.

"Clearly the boy is no better then his father was" he spat.

"Oooooooooooooooooooh… you are in so much trouble for that" Harry said.

"Let us get back to the case in hand" Dumbledore said quickly. "From what your accountant has told me, you have asked for the monies and anything that was brought with it to be taken away from those that stole it. I would like to point out that some of the money was given to the Weasleys for looking after you during each summer. They also need the money to support their large family. it is practically their right to ask for money in order to provide for you"

"Mrs Weasley should, perhaps, have kept her legs clamped shut" said Harry.

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE BRAT!" Molly Weasley exploded, but Dumbledore waved her back.

"I think that we should just calm down" he said. "It is important, Harry, that you…"

"Mr Potter" Harry said plainly.

"… Mr Potter, that you allow us to keep the money we've taken. Your parents would have wanted it to have happened after all. We need the money in order to fund our activities against Voldemort and his supporters. You don't need it all anyway, and it isn't all that much after all" Dumbledore said.

"You do not know what my parents would have wanted" Harry said. "They could have donated money to you, but they didn't and neither did I" and he turned to the Goblin. "Griphook, please enact the Take Back Procedure" and Griphook smiled.

"It shall be done" and he popped away from sight.

"What have you done?" asked Lupin.

"Taken most of the money that was stolen back" Harry said with a smile on his face. "And anything that was purchased with that money, with the exception of certain items, have been returned and the money retrieved from there as well" and there was a mad rush of a number of people running out of Dumbledore's office. He wasn't too surprised to see who had gone.

"Healer Marshell" Dumbledore spoke to the Healer who had remained silent throughout. "I suspect that Mr Potter is under a potion or spell. Can you please check that he is so controlled?" and the Healer glared at Dumbledore but did his bidding anyway.

"Mr Potter is not under the influence of any potion or spell" he said after a few moments.

"Are you certain?" Dumbledore asked. "This is most unlike Harry"

"Harry Potter is not under the influence of any potions or spells that I know of" the Healer repeated.

"Very well" Dumbledore sighed in defeat. He was beginning to think how he could gain control of Harry now.

"Mr Weasley is though"

**A/N:**

**A little cliffie for you to figure out! The challenge is to figure out what the healer means by his last statement.**

**This is a little bit shorter then normal, but it helps to build the tension, keeps you guessing *and* allows me to think of a longer and more thought out next chapter.**

**At least though there's a reference somewhere in the chapter!**

**For the time being, all fanfic work by me is suspended until further notice for personal reasons. I will still reply to reviews, but that is it until I decide otherwise. Rest assured this isn't due to a bad review (lol), but its for deeply personal reasons that take priority.**

**Regards**

**Pixel**


	8. Before The Trial

**Before The Trial**

"Harry Potter is not under the influence of any potions or spells that I know of" the Healer repeated.

"Very well" Dumbledore sighed in defeat. He was beginning to think how he could gain control of Harry now.

"Mr Weasley is though"

#

"What are you talking about?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'm quite certain of this" said the Healer. "Mr Weasley has been under the effects of the potion for some time" and Molly Weasley went so red Harry wondered if she was picked up on Infrared satellites.

"This is ridicules" she said. "Its clear the brat has confounded you" and she went on for some time.

"Let me make one thing clear" Harry said. "I haven't got my wand out the whole time we've been together" and then he looked at the Healer. "What potion is it?" he asked.

"Love Potion" replied the Healer.

"That's a lie!" screamed Mrs Weasley, but as she raised her wand and pointed it at Harry, the door to Dumbledore's office opened and in burst Hermione, Ahsoka, Madam Bones and two Aurors. The Aurors disarmed Mrs Weasley and then took her away after silencing her.

"Amilea" Dumbledore began, "You should let Molly go. I am sure this has been a terrible mix-up" but Madam Bones glanced sharply at him.

"She will be taken to the Ministry for questioning on the charge of administering a restricted substance" she said. "Arthur, you'll have to go with the Healer to be examined properly" and Mr Weasley nodded dumbly as he was led away.

"This is a mess" Dumbledore said. "I will have to work hard to put right the mistake you have made here, Mr Potter" he added.

"Mr Potter has not caused any trouble here" said Madam Bones. "However, since I am here, the trial for your friend, Miss Tano, has been moved up to tomorrow. Please arrive at half past nine in the morning" and with that she left. Harry waited several moments and then looked at Dumbledore calmly and coldly.

"I know this is your doing" he said. "And I'll stop your little game" and with that, Harry got up and left Dumbledore's office and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

#

"HE DID WHAT?" Hermione said in a rather loud surprise sounding voice.

"The trial has been moved up to tomorrow, so we've got less then 12 hours to prepare" Harry said.

"That's not enough" said Ahsoka.

"Not nearly half enough" said Hermione. "I can look up points of law of course" she said, "But I am not a qualified lawyer" and Ahsoka frowned for a moment.

"Couldn't you two represent me?" she asked. "I know you're not lawyers or anything, but I trust you more then anyone else" and Hermione smiled at the compliment.

"We better get going" said Harry, and the trio left for the library. When they got there though, they saw a sign hanging off it saying the library was shut for essential cleaning.

"You don't think this was pure bad luck its shut at the same time, do you?" Ahsoka said.

"We haven't enough time to order stuff from Diagon Alley" Hermione said.

"We'd need to know what to use get first" Harry said. They stood looking at the sign and each other for a moment before Hermione came up with an idea.

"Let's use the Room of Requirements" she said. "We could ask it for everything that we would want. It gave us what we needed for the DA last year" and Harry agreed with that, so they set off for the room, and did the necessary. They walked in to an exact replica of the library, right down to the smell of the books on the shelves.

"Is there anything this room can not do?" Ahsoka asked.

"I don't know" Harry said. Hermione frowned before walking over to what would be the door leading out of the library.

"Well lets find out" she said, and with that she turned the handle and opened the door. Beyond was the familiar looking corridor that Harry had Hermione had come to know over the years.

"You think it's real?" asked Harry.

"Only one way to find out" Hermione said, and she took out her wand and fired a paintball round to the wall opposite. It splattered and made a mess which confirmed that it was real. The trio then took a walk to the end of the corridor to confirm this, and then returned to the duplicate library. They took a seat around the biggest table and started to draw up a list of books they needed to consult. They split up with Hermione and Ahsoka going together on account of Ahsoka still needing help with English from time to time.

"What we need to do is to look up and research various cases were non humans were classified as sentient" Harry said. Hermione agreed and she worked with Harry while Ahsoka wrote down the cases in question, and this was what took hours to complete. When they had become completely exhausted, they left the library and entered the real Hogwarts and made it down in time for dinner. Ahsoka was flanked by Harry and Hermione as it had become common place for her to be attacked by other students, though no punishment was ever given – unless it was to the trio.

# # # # #

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, and put down the latest copy of _Wizards For Wizards_ and picked up the report that had been delivered to him moments before. He had had people follow Ahsoka over the last few weeks in order to gather this information. He was sure that when the rest of the Wizendgamot saw it, they would be convinced that she needed to be examined, cut up and then examined more.

**CLASSIFIED REPORT**

**Subject:** Ahsoka Tano

**Sex:** _Female_

**Age:** _Unknown. Sole medical record indicates an age between 14 and 16 years_

**Eye Colour:** _Blue_.

**Skin Colour:** _Student Tano has an abnormal skin colouring. Base skin color is orange, with white highlights_

**Height:** _Unknown_

**Weight:** _Unknown_

**Educational Record**

**Subjects**

**Transfiguration: **Easily has NEWT level grasp

**Charms:** Easily has NEWT level grasp

**DADA: **Newt level

**Potions:** Below OWL standards – Student Tano believes the potions professor is biased

**Runes:** NEWT standard

**Arithmancy:** OWL standard

**Herbology: **Professor Sprout ranked student Tano at OWL standard, though this below expected marking is believed to be a result of the infamous Cannibus incident Tano has requested a retest as well.

It is noted by quidditch instructor Madam Hooch that student Tano displays a high level of fitness and athleticism.

**Divination:** is not ranked

**Care of Magical Creatures:** NEWT standards.

**Astronomy:** is not ranked. Student Tano refuses to take this subject based on past trauma

**History of Magic**: Student Tano attends but is not marked in this subject

**Comments**

Student Tano is in Madam Hooch's words, a natural flier, though how much of it is raw talent, and her... innate powers is up for debate. Overall, considering the circumstances of Tano's recent past she seems to have settled in well enough to lessons – though she does not require a wand. It is noted here that Student Tano cares of her close friendships with Students Potter and Granger.

**Disciplinary Record: **Student Tano has been in a number of incidents which have caused injuries to others. She is in the habit of carrying some kind of energy based weapon and two muggle style pistols at all times – these come from her past life.

**Conclusion:** The subject can be prone to violent mood swings with no warning. Has been known to attack both staff and fellow students. Should be considered dangerous, arrested and turned over to the departments of Magical Law Enforcement and Mysteries for examination in the public interest.

**REPORT ENDS**

Dumbledore put it down and smiled to himself as he sipped his tea. Everything was going to plan, and it was all for the greater good after all…

# # # # #

**1 Hour, 2 Minutes and 3 Seconds Later (a point that serves no useful purpose)**

They sat in the common room that evening, and they kept getting watched by Ron and Ginny. Even with the privacy wards up, there was nothing to say that Ron and or Ginny hadn't cast a spell so they could read the lip movements of any of them. Ahsoka really wanted to introduce them to how well her lightsaber could cut through skin, but Harry said that he didn't think that would help her case all that much the next day.

"If you are the one who is to defeat the magical world's greatest threat, then why are you not held in such great honour?" Ahsoka asked.

"Good question" said Hermione.

"Purebloods think that once something has gone then it stays gone. When Voldemort returned a couple of years ago, people thought that he was either a fake or a figment of my imagination" Harry said. "They run scared about things they don't know. They thought that as Voldemort hadn't made so many appearances, that I was making the whole thing up to gain attention. Then when he did turn up and Sirius was… lost, then they believed me. Excuse me" and Harry got up and headed towards the door leading out to the corridor outside when Ron stood up.

"You can't leave" he said. "You have to stay in here"

"And who said?" Harry asked.

"I did" said Ron in a pompous voice.

"You can't do that. Your prefect powers do not extend to confining people to their dorms" Harry said. He made to leave when Ron moved quickly and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I don't think you heard me Potter" he said threateningly. "I told you to stay here and…" Ron didn't finish his sentence because Harry had spun round, punched Ron in the nose, then in the stomach which sent him flying backwards into the thick stone wall, and then activated the miniature lightsaber that Ahsoka had given him for Christmas. With one smooth motion, Harry crossed over to the fallen Ron and held the tip over his neck and throat area.

"Listen closely, Weasley" Harry said – every word tinged with anger. "You don't tell me what to do. I'll leave here if I want to, and I will not be dictated to be a jumped up carrot with the brains of Peter fucking Pettigrew!" and Harry stormed away out Gryffindor tower. Ginny jumped up to follow and attack Harry when Hermione pointed her wand at Ginny.

"Sit down, Ginerva" she said. Ginny took one look at the wand, had a glance at the look of hate on the older girl's face and sat back in her chair. "That's a good little girl" soon enough though McGonagall came rushing in demanding to know what had been going on.

"And why" she finished, "Is Mr Weasley lying on the floor in great pain?" and there was a silence.

"Potter attacked Ron for no reason" Ginny blurted out.

"Is this true?" asked McGonagall.

"No, Professor" sang the rest of the common room. McGonagall suspected Ron had made Harry snap and that the rest of the house was covering for him, but then again they did say that he didn't do anything to cause this out of suddenness.

"I shall investigate this further" she said, and then quickly collected Ron to take him off to see Madam Pomfrey.

# # # # #

The trio worked well into the night, after Harry's return, and they had only got an hour of sleep before getting showered, dressed in formal clothes and picked up all of their notes for the hearing in a few hours. As Ahsoka finished getting ready, she nipped back up the stairs, went into her dorm and retrieved her weapons. While she had every confidence in Harry and Hermione to defend her, she was certain that Dumbledore and/or others would try to attack her during the hearing. She met Harry and Hermione waiting for her down in the common room.

"We should go now before the bus gets here" Harry said, and they left the castle and walked down to the gates, stepped out the grounds and summoned the Knight Bus. Hermione paid the fare and they sped off – dropping others at their destinations first.

# # # # #

_Six Weeks Previous_

"_This should stop anything that Dumbledore can do"_ said Harry.

"_Short of mind reading every single person in the country"_ Hermione laughed, _"He isn't going to ever find out about this"_.

"_Until it is too late that is"_ Ahsoka replied

# # # # #

They arrived at the Ministry in good time, and they entered using the phone box as most did. This caused Harry to think about Sirius for a moment. As the trio stepped out, they saw two squads of Aurors waiting for them.

"Can we help you?" Hermione said.

"That… thing is to come with us. You will see her before the trial" said the leader of the Aurors.

"I don't think so" said Ahsoka sweetly.

"You'll do as you are told. These orders come from the Chief Warlock himself" came the woman's reply.

"Isn't it interesting that the person who is bringing this case is also the person that is chairing the bench?" Harry said aloud. "And to answer you, Ahsoka will come with us. I will not trust her safety to people we don't know" and he gave her hand a tight squeeze in support.

"You want a fight, or would you like to just let us pass on way?" Hermione said. "I would hate for there to be a mistake" and the trio walked through the lines of Aurors and headed down to the courtrooms.

**A/N:**

**I'M BACK!**

**I needed a few days off, but I still answered as many emails and PMs as possible – including someone who asked me if I knew how to make love to a duck. I swear some people are crazier then an unelected President of Egypt…!**

**Anyway…**

**A shorter then normal chapter, but the next one is the trial which – departing from tradition – shall have outside help in writing it. At this point I do not know exactly what will happen, so I guess I'll have to wait until I write it!**

**If anyone wants to guess what exactly happened six weeks previous to this chapter, then they can do so – but XRaiderV1 is banned as he knows!**

**I suppose I best get back to writing the next chapter then**

**Regards**

**Pixel**

**PS: Happy New Year to my Chinese readers – both Chinas that is…**


	9. Dumbledore's Downfall

**Dumbledore's Downfall**

The wait went on for a little while more, and Hermione and Ahsoka talked while Harry pulled out a colouring book and pencil crayons to pass the time. While it seemed childish, Harry did it a lot and was the result of not having a childhood at all.

"ALL STAND!"

"BOLLOCKS!" Harry said as he went over the line of a clown holding balloons. "And just when I had finished doing the head as well" and he cleared the image of colour and put the book and pencils in his pocket.

"You may be seated" Dumbledore said. "We are gathered here to ascertain the status of the being known as Ahsoka Tano. she has been considered a danger to the public, and must be killed and examined by Ministry experts. The subject has challenged this view and is going to explain its case" and he nodded at the trio. Hermione was the first to stand and explain their point of view.

"What the Chief Warlock says is true - we are here to detirmine the status of a living, breathing and talking person. Now Ahsoka came here from a place that we can only be able to say is another universe. She came here seeking shelter from an army which tried to kill her. Since then, she has made a few mistakes but has fitted in well and has made lasting relationships with a number of people. However, whilst at Hogwarts, she has been bullied because of her appearance. during these times, she has done nothing but use her... branch of magic... to defend herself and friends in a non leathel manner. The Cheif Warlock, with the Ministry, has decided that my friend should be killed and examined because she is not classified as human. We intend to stop this" and she sat down as an usher called out for a witness.

"Could you tell me your name and position please?" asked Dumbledore.

"You know bloody well what my details are Brian" Pomfrey said.

"Healer Pomfrey, could you tell us what your assesment was of Ahsoka upon her first arrival at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"She was in a state of shock, and had recieved a few burns and cuts to her body. There were several things about her that did not appear on the human body, but they seemed to be alright" Pomfrey said. She was well aware of the fact that her job was on the line, but she also didnt want Ahsoka put to death because of her words alone.

"Now what was the headmaster's reaction after examining Ahsoka's possesetions? And without permission I add" he asked her.

"That she should be taken away and studied"

"I see" Harry said, and he saw Hermione shake her head out of the corner of one eye. "No further questions as yet, but i exercise the option to recall this witness" and Dumbledore nodded. He wondered how he and Hermione had managed to know the wizarding legal system so quickly.

"I enter into the court's case People's Exhibit 1" said a wizard - one of the Order that Harry and Hermione both knew the face of but not the name. He gave Dumbledore the same file that he himself had created hours before. A copy of it was passed to the trio who went over it quickly as they could.

"I see that this is in order" Dumbledore said. "I find that the being known as Ahsoka Tano is to be put to death, and her remains examined by the experts. So mote it…"

BANG

The door to the courtroom shattered into tiny splinters as an angry looking Madam Bones came in surrounded by Aurors with wands out… and an annoyed and pissed off looking McGonagall.

"Morning, Harry, Hermione, Ahsoka" Madam Bones said as she walked up towards the benches. "I heard that someone" she indicated McGonagall, "was not going to attend this court despite the summons you sent. However, I have not only brought her here as per your instructions, Mr Potter, but I have brought alone the report you asked for" and Dumbledore paled a little before speaking.

"I have already passed sentence" he said.

"But you wouldn't want an innocent person destroyed because of disallowed evidence would you, Sir?" Hermione's expression was blank. Ahsoka could feel the anger rising from both Harry and Hermione, and she put a hand on each to reassure them both and to keep their tempers.

"No… no. Of course I wouldn't" Dumbledore said.

"Well in _that_ case" Ahsoka said, "I'd like to present this to the court for reading whilst an oath is administered to Professor McGonagall. The former Padawan handed Dumbledore the file that Bones had given her, and it began to read in an automated and dull sounding voice the moment Dumbledore opened it.

**DMLE Classified Report**

**Investigating Officer:** Amelia Bones (DMLE head)

**Subject:** Ahsoka Tano

**Case File:** 2031-WJ-012-Tano

**Report:**

A number of disturbing incidents have been logged from intercepted reports from Hogwarts, the latest one detailing the arrival of one Ahsoka Tano, and the ever increasing animosity between subjects Potter, Granger, and Headmaster Dumbledore [see attached intercepted files]. A number of altercations have been reported, in which it is clear, following independent, undercover investigation.

It is clear, much of the supposed outbursts[cited in attached intercepted reports from Hogwarts] have been deliberately provoked, and considering the nature of one of the more recent, an attack on Granger [see attached broom attack report], the responses have been fairly more restrained than one would expect.

There are reports of attempts by Headmaster Dumbledore's continued attempts to interfere with the guardianship of Lord Harold James Potter holds, in regards to subjects Tano and Granger. Further, reports of interference in the recent engagement/betrothal to subjects Tano and Granger, with regards to Lord Harold James Potter have been received from Gringotts London. These are serious charges, interfering and attempting to subvert some of our oldest laws, which were rumoured to have been set down by Merlin himself, even attempting to break the betrothal of others is enough to earn a sentence to Azkaban. Further, these betrothals/engagements are valid, and have been done in accordance to all known applicable laws, interference in one grants House Potter the right to defend his house members as he sees fit, in accordance with known laws, as set forth by Merlin. NOTE: It is uncertain how this would apply to Tano.

The attached addendum from one Senior Auror George Lucas, was short and to the point: the intercepted reports concerning subject Tano, besides what medical and basic stats we have, are '_utter bullshite_'.

This concludes the report.

"The oath is administered, Ma'am" said an Auror.

"Your witness" Bones said, and she conjured up a load of soft chairs for herself and the Aurors to use.

"Thank you" Ahsoka said. "Professor McGonagall... I understand you can change your form at will. Become an animal. Is this correct?" she asked.

"Yes" said the Deputy.

"And yet you are still human, despite having slightly different genes then others who do not have this ability?" Ahsoka said.

"I am" Mcgonagall said through gritted teath.

"Then, your honour, we have an established prescient" said the three at the same time. Dumbledore was forced to agree, and allowed Ahsoka to leave the court as a free… human_oid_. And whatever he was expecting, it surely wasn't the fact he suddenly had four Aurors pointing wands at him as a fifth put magic restraining cuffs on him.

**A/N:**

**And so arrives another chapter! I'm sure XRaiderV1 will be pleased…**

**NOTE: I am now off the grid for the next week and a half at least because of sugary I'm having today! Reviews still answered though**

**Regards**

**Pixel **


	10. Attack on Ahsoka

**Attack on Ahsoka**

**CAUTION – GRAPHIC RAPE IN THIS CHAPTER. CAUTION – GRAPHIC RAPE IN THIS CHAPTER. CAUTION – GRAPHIC RAPE IN THIS CHAPTER. **

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

Dumbledore was relieved of all his titles and responsibilities pending an investigationinto corruption and his past actions. McGonagall was put in charge of the school, and it seemed as if there was a change to the woman. She was now friendly towards the three, and Harry and Hermione suspected her of being under a curse.

"Is something the matter, 'soka?" asked Harry.

"I was just thinking about my own universe" Ahsoka replied. "I can't help but think I could have made a difference" and Hermione leant over and kissed her on the cheek.

"We saw your memories" she told the girl. "There is nothing you could have done to prevent the deaths, and you would have been killed yourself" and Ahsoka nodded sadly.

"I know" and then she pulled her charms homework in front of her and got to work on the uses of summoning charms. She had the incantation done more or less correctly, even though she preferred to just pick stuff up without using words – something only Harry, Hermione and a couple of 7th Year Slytherins could do.

#

"I want a word with you, Potter" said the resident Ice Queen, Daphne Greengrass.

"Just the one?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"It is a matter of great importance to both you, and your fiancées" Daphne said. Harry nodded and followed her into an unused classroom on the second floor. He cast a couple of detection spells to ensure nobody was listening in to the upcoming talk.

"So spill…" Harry said, leaning against one of the dusty desks. Daphne flicked the dust off another, perched on the edge and began to speak.

"Draco Malfoy is plotting to make an assault on Ahsoka Tano. From what I have overheard, he is planning to stun her, put her under the imperious and then…" she took a deep breath, "… and then rape her" and Harry started to become angry at the thought.

"How do you know? And you're a Slytherin anyway… why should you be wanting to help me or any member of Gryffindor house?" Harry asked.

"A number of my fellow Slytherins have asked me the same thing" Daphne replied, "But despite differences between our mighty houses, I shudder at the thought of a woman or man being raped. So long as I know I helped to stop a case of that happening, then I can rest a little easier" she finished.

"In that case, Miss Greengrass, we have an urgent appointment with Professor McGonagall" Harry said, and he briskly walked towards the door, and the corridor outside.

#

"You are out of lessons!" cried a delighted Filch. "You're going to get it this time, Potter"

"Sod off" Harry said, and the squib was hit by a pair of stunners – one each from the pair. The unlikely pair knocked on the door of Professor McGonagall's office and went inside.

"Mr Potter? Miss Greengrass?" the Acting Headmistress looked up at them. "Given the fact the two of you are withing hitting distance, and yet have refrained from attacking, I assume that something is the matter?" she with a frown.

"Yes, Professor" said Daphne, "It is very important indeed. I have heard Malfoy plotting with others to rape Ahsoka Tano, and then to say she attacked them so she can be killed by the Ministry" and McGonagall's eyes narrowed darkly.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"Going to potions" the Slytherin replied. McGonagall was torn between ripping Draco to pieces herself, or another plan entirely.

"Who else was he plotting with?" she asked.

"Crabbe, Goyle and Zabini Blaise" Daphne said.

"Important members of the Wizendgamot" McGonagall said, referring to their fathers. "We would need positive proof of them intending to commit the crime. They could say they only spoke of it as a poor joke, or were looking out for Miss Tano's safety" but Harry shook his head.

"If they touch Ahsoka in any way, shape or form, then I will personally rip them limb from limb until they die" he said. "That, or I'll use my wand or lightsaber on them" added the furious Gryffindor. McGonagall said she understood, but told him that they needed proof the four were going to actually rape Ahsoka. After leaving the office, Harry returned to Gryffindor tower, called the other two to his dorm and spoke to them about what had happened. Within half an hour, most of Gryffindor had volunteered to be Ahsoka's protection detail. The former Padawan claimed she didn't need one as such, but Harry told her he didn't want to take the chance Malfoy could get in a lucky shot.

#

The first week had passed, and there had been no sign of Malfoy and his group attacking Ahsoka. The girl was heading towards the library to take out a few books on transfiguration, and she felt at ease as it all began to gear towards the end of year exams. Ahsoka still felt a little unsure about one or two things, but Harry and Hermione would always help her out when she needed it. She had managed to get away from her bodyguards, and was so caught up in her thoughts that her Jedi trained senses failed to alert her to the spell that hit her between the shoulders.

"Now, you great freak… we're going to have a great deal of fun…" sneered Draco Malfoy's voice. He cast _Imperio_ again, and then ordered Ahsoka to follow him, Crabbe and Goyle to an unused classroom. Once inside, he sealed the door, added some powerful privacy charms and then back to their prey.

"What shall we do first?" asked Goyle, mentally undressing Ahsoka with his eyes.

"I bet she gives good head" Malfoy sneered. "Get on your knees, you mudblood bitch, and suck us all off" and Ahsoka had no choice but to comply, and she sank to the stone floor and took Malfoy into her mouth. She went up and down on his length, and those of the others, until they all came, and she was forced to swallow every drop before she was put on the nearest desk, stripped naked and made to masturbate in front of the watching teens.

Then things got a little darker as Malfoy stepped out of his trousers and boxer shorts, approached the spell bound girl and loomed over her with a wicked grin on his face.

#

"… as I said" Hermione finished.

"Well I was thinking of spending a few weeks in Yorkshire" Harry said. "You know Ahsoka liked it when we went there for the Easter break" he smiled as he remembered the reaction of the alien to the sight of her first steam train.

"Harry Potter!" a second year shouted over the noise in the common room. "There's a Slytherin outside wanting to talk to you" and Harry looked at Hermione aside.

"Bet its Daphne" she suggested, but it wasn't Daphne Greengrass at all.

"What do_ you_ want?" Harry asked Zabini Blaise.

"Draco and his goons have your fiancée under a spell in the unused charms classroom near the library" he said, panting slightly as if he had run quite fast.

"But Hermione is rig…" Harry's voice faltered as he realised he was talking about Ahsoka. "Oh shit" he spat out. "Get Professor McGonagall and meet me there" and with that he took off along the corridor so fast he was a blur. He passed groups of students who wisely decided to move out of his way, and he took stairs two at a time. "MAKE A HOLE!" he cried, and the students did so. As he rushed along the upper transfiguration classrooms, he spotted a couple of familiar faces ahead of him. "Hannah, Susan, Luna – on me" and he didn't stop, but was aware they had dropped their books, drawn wands and started running after him. Along the way, he picked up his own heavy artillery in the form of Terry Boot and Ernie McMillan. They came to the door and found the locking and privacy charm on it. There was no silencing spell, and they could hear the grunts, moans and screams from inside.

"I can't get past them" Hannah said, referring to the wards on the door.

"We don't need to…" Harry said darkly, and he backed off a few feet and pointed his wand at the door – the others following suit pretty quick. "On three. One, Two, Three – _BOMBARDA_" and every wand shot out a powerful blasting spell which blew apart both the door and the wards around in. The group poured in and Harry saw Malfoy deep inside Ahsoka with Crabbe and Goyle in her mouth.. At the sudden noise, all three of them looked round, and Harry could only see a bright red haze.

"She's quite good…" began Malfoy, but Harry snapped.

"_CRUCIO_!" and the Unforgivable shot out, connected with Malfoy and made him twitch violently as every nerve and muscle fired at the same time. This had the unfortunate side-effect of bringing both him and Ahsoka to orgasm. While this was going on, Crabbe and Goyle pulled out of Ahsoka's mouth and advanced towards the group, but got stopped by the half dozen bludgeoning spells from the rest. Harry meanwhile, had picked Malfoy up by the throat and slammed him into the wall and hit him with both fists and magic. By the time McGonagall arrived with Zabini and Hermione in tow, all three Slytherins were a bloody mess in human form, Malfoy was slowly being killed by Harry, and Terry and Ernie were happily pounding into his goons. The three girls had conjured up blankets for Ahsoka, covered her up, and stood with their backs to her with battle faces on, and wands drawn.

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!" McGonagall's voice echoed through the room. "I can not believe my eyes…" she saw the naked Slytherins and then the staring straight ahead Ahsoka. "Mr Blaise, got to my office, take some floo powder and request that a company of Aurors come here at once" Zabini nodded, turned to rush out of the room, only to find Susan's Aunt, Madam Bones, and a full squad of armed Aurors coming in. The Aurors looked at the scene, then drew wands at pointed them at both the Slytherins and Harry. Madam Bones had been in the DMLE long enough to recognise a brutal rape when she saw one.

"Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, you are all under arrest for the raping of Ahsoka Tano. You will be taken from this place to the Ministry and hence to Azkaban prison to await trial" Madam Bones said, then turned to Harry. "Harry Potter, you are under arrest for use of an Unforgivable. You will be taken from this place to the Ministry, and hence to Azkaban prison to await trial"

"Get fucked" Harry said, and released his hand from around Malfoy's throat – dropping him several feet in the air.

"You three" McGonagall indicated the Slytherins, "Are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and she stepped aside to let the Aurors arrest and place cuffs on the three. When the tried to do the same to Harry, the other students formed a wall between him and them.

"Try us" Susan's eyes blazed with a burning fire at her Aunt in defiance.

"Get out of our way" Luna said quietly but forcefully, and they formed a protective shield around Harry as he lifted Ahsoka gently into his arms and moved out the classroom, and in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

#

Aurors had made several attempts to place Harry under arrest, but had been repulsed by the friends. Harry had not left Ahsoka's bedside for hours until Madam Pomfrey had ordered him to leave. His response had been to smash his hand through the glass window on cutting his hands and arms wide open – and getting admittance to the Hospital Wing on grounds he was injured and needed treatment. Hermione had brought him a little something to eat and drink, and they watched their sleeping partner as she slept off the many potions she had to be given. Just as they had got her in the bed, the _Imperio_ had worn off, and Ahsoka had become so hysterical that she had to be given a dreamless sleep _just_ to calm her down. She looked dead ahead as Pomfrey treated her, with Harry and Hermione refusing to leave while she stripped Ahsoka and put her in clean and warm pyjamas and tucking her into bed. The Aurors tried once more to place Harry under arrest, but they got defeated one more time by the picket line set up by their friends in front of the Hospital Wing.

"How is she doing?" Hermione asked Pomfrey as the nurse did some scans.

"Physically, she is doing alright" replied the shaken Medi-Witch. She looked at them with a great sadness. "Do you want to know the full injury list?" the woman asked.

"Yes please" said Hermione.

"Miss Tano has had her hymen ripped apart from the rape, and she has both vaginal and anal bruising, I have found traces of semen in her stomach, mouth, vagina and anus. They match to the magical signatures of Messers Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. I also detected a faint trace from you, Mr Potter and Miss Granger. However, since you are in a relationship with Miss Tano, this will be discounted from any investigation. I also treated your partner for repeated use of _Imperio_ and _Crucio_, and the nerve damage should just about be healed. There is muscle tearing around her vagina, anus, arms, upper inner thighs and legs. Those are all things that I can treat, but I can not do anything with her mental state" the venerable and kindly school nurse looked at them both. "You saw only a brief glimpse at her damaged mental state. If you would allow me to do so, then I want to bring in a mind healer from St Mungos to probe Miss Tano's mind. Neither of you can do so as you are emotionally attached to her" and Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.

"I don't care if it costs me all the money in my vaults, just make my Ahsoka better" Harry said.

"I would like to do it as soon as possible" Pomfrey told the pair, "But you can not be in the same room when this happens, lest your magic affects the results of the tests" she added. "I suggest that you get some sleep" but Harry disagreed with that request.

"I don't rest until she does" he said, pointing at Ahsoka's sleeping form. "She's hurting in her mind" and Pomfrey was confused and asked for an explination.

"Because we're in a relationship, our magic and Ahsoka's Jedi powers have sort of combined" Hermione said. "This means that we can sense each others thoughts when we wish it" and then she gave a faint and weak smile. "It lets us experience the pleasure of the other two when we have sex" but then her tone and attitude darkened. "I don't think we'll be having much of that for some time" and with that, she and Harry turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing. Aurors sat waiting for them outside, but had been prevented from entering by the watchers – at the moment Terry and Lavender Brown.

"Harry James Potter, you are under arrest for the assault of Draco Malfoy, a pureblood of good standing. You will turn over your wand and come with us to be charged formally and taken to Azkaban jail" said the Auror in charge.

"Get stuffed, Tonks" Harry said.

"Don't talk to me like that, Potter" spat Tonks, drawing her wands along with her colleagues. The four of them blocked the way past them with a wall of bodies, and it was clear they were spoiling for a fight.

"I don't have time for this" Hermione muttered. "We come on the business of her Majesty. God Save The Queen" and the Aurors snapped to attention.

"God save the Queen" they parroted, and instantly got hit by body binds from Terry and Lavender.

"Nice bit of spell work" Harry complimented. "Madam Pomfrey will not let them take Ahsoka until she deems her ready and able to be moved. Thank you for watching over her, but nothing is going to happen for at least 12 hours, so we don't need to stand watch over the place" and they drifted to their respective common rooms.

#

McGonagall had recalled all of the Slytherins to their common room, and asked who had known about the rape. When several had said they knew about it, the Acting Headmistress asked why they hadn't reported it to her or any of the other staff members. From what she learned, Malfoy had threatened to beat them up and attack their families of they had said anything. Zabini only seemed to be in it because he was disgusted by Malfoy's plot, but wanted definite proof and so he was excused from any punishment that he might have received.

Ahsoka had not woken up by the middle of the following morning, and Pomfrey assumed she had fallen into a kind of Jedi healing trance which was deepened by the sleeping draughts she had been forced to take. Because of this, Harry and Hermione travelled to Gringotts for advice. This shocked the Goblins as they had never been asked for their opinions on matters other then finance and the like. They recommended a lawyer they retained for court cases, and Harry took a large amount of money out of one of the Black vaults while he was there. While they were in London on business, a lawyer for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle went to the Ministry's legal writ and warrants department and filed formal charges on Harry, Terry, Ernie, Hannah, Susan and Luna for assaulting his clients. An Auror who was sympathetic to the Dark Side passed the documents through the system, and issued an Arrest on Sight notice for everyone but Harry. He was under a Terminate on Sight notice, and this authorised Aurors to use the Killing Curse on Harry.

#

"Madam Director?" a recently graduated Auror came into Madam Bones' office.

"What is it, Smith?" she asked, looking up from the pile of paper work she had on her desk.

"I just got a Terminate on Sight order for Harry Potter" Smith said, handing over the parchment for her inspection. "I didn't think this was right, so I went to my section leader, but he said it was perfectly legal. That didn't sit well with me, so I decided to go over his head and report directly to you" she added.

"You've done bloody well" said Bones. "I want you to get a detachment of Aurors together quietly, and meet me in th…" she was cut off by a woman's scream from the corridor outside her outer office. There was a little commotion outside, some spells being fired off, and then the door opened and Harry and Hermione walked in with several dead bodies floating behind them. Aurors rushed the outer office and started to take aim. "AURORS! STAND TO!" Bones roared. "Leave this floor at once before I suspend the whole lot of you" and they reluctantly complied with the order. "Why are several of my top Aurors floating dead in my office?" she asked Harry and Hermione.

"Harry and myself had just come out of Gringotts when we came under attack by Aurors shooting Killing Curses at us" Hermione said in a detached and clinical voice. "We realised they were meaning to kill us, so we decided to return fire. At no point did they attempt to speak to us, nor did they offer chances of surrender" she added.

"When it was clear that their entire intention was to kill us, then myself and Hermione decided to return fire with deadly force as members of the Potter family are permitted" Harry said. "At no point did we use any dark spells, but instead used non lethal spells which they got in the way of" but the neat holes drilled into the heads of the three men and two women team told the true story. The pair had defeated the team by putting them down quickly and efficiently, and done so by hitting them with cutting charms – digging into their brains and making death as certain as victory in a Libyan uprising.

"May I ask what your intentions are, Mr Potter?" Madam Bones had sat back in her chair and become very pale and white by now.

"I plan to ensure my partner, Ahsoka, is take care of with the best treatments that money can buy. After that, we may not be returning to Hogwarts, and indeed may even leave the country" Harry told her. "The way things are going, I'll give Voldemort a hand in taking over the country…!" and the pair dropped the bodies on the tables and left the Ministry via her private office Floo connection for Hogwarts.

# # # # #

Ahsoka woke up screaming in the hospital wing, and Pomfrey had to sedate her once again and have a message taken by a passing first year Ravenclaw to Gryffindor. The nurse had not reached the count of five minutes before Harry and Hermione had come belting down the corridor and into the hospital wing.

"Miss Tano is awake" Pomfrey told them. "I had to sedate her because she became violent, and her magic started lashing out all over the place. I was awaiting your return here before I attempted to wake her from the potions, but I assume her differing genetic make up is to blame here" she added.

"Wake her up then" Harry said bluntly. Pomfrey nodded and gently brought Ahsoka around from the potion induced sleep. The young Togrutan looked wildly around the room in panic, but all she saw was a very concerned Harry and Hermione holding one each of her hands.

"Why?" was her first word. Her voice was husky from all the shouting she had done before, and Hermione held a small goblet of water for her to sip from.

"Malfoy and his stooges did this to get to me" Harry said. "I am sure that they would have gone for Hermione if you had never arrived here, but Malfoy knew I care deeply for you so that's why he raped you. We got a warning of what was going on, but I was too late to stop anything from happening. For that, I am deeply sorry" and tears fell from his face.

"Not your fault" Ahsoka said. "Malfoy and the others are to blame for what happened. Speaking of which, what is their situation?" she asked.

"McGonagall nearly blew a gasket and expelled the three of them on the spot, and Madam Bones has taken them to Azkaban to await trial. It wasn't just Harry that came to your rescue, but Terry Boot, Ernie McMillan, Hannah, Susan and Luna Lovegood all helped out" Hermione said. "Malfoy's lawyer tried something to stop any chance of a case, but we dealt with that fairly easily. There is going to have to be a trial, "Hermione went on.

"But we will be with you every step of the way" Harry assured her, and rubbed one of her tendrils – something he knew eased any troubles she had. It wasn't working much, but Ahsoka would take whatever pleasure she could get right about now. "Madam Pomfrey is going to do up your case notes, we've got the best lawyer that money can buy, and we are going to make sure that Malfoy can not harm another woman for as long as he lives. Now you're going to have to stay in here for the rest of the week, but if Madam Pomfrey says so, then you can be out for the weekend. I thought that we could spend the weekend up in the Yorkshire Dales. I was going to keep this as a surprise, but you need cheering up. I bought a little place there near Grosmont. We can spend the weekend there – just the three of us alone. Get away from all of this crap that's happened to you" and Ahsoka burst into tears of happiness. She thought that her partners would not want her after her raping, but all they wanted to do was to make sure she was kept safe and happy.

"Am I… Am I… preg…" Ahsoka couldn't get the words out.

"Are you pregnant?" supplied Pomfrey. "No, child, you are not pregnant with any of those foul beings' children" and then the woman left the trio alone for some privacy. She also wanted to start on writing the case notes for the upcoming trial. She had to give all the details without breaking Healer-Patient confidentiality.

# # # # #

"Professor?" Hermione's voice caught McGonagall's attention, and she looked up to see said student outside her office.

"Please come in, Miss Granger" she said. Hermione stepped inside and took a seat in the tartan covered armchairs. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Harry and I are letting you know we will not be in the castle over the weekend" Hermione said.

"You know more then most, Miss Granger" McGonagall said, "That students are to remain in the castle at all times. The only permitted times a student can be out the school, is a Hogsmeade trip, or there is a family problem. I know what has happened to Miss Tano is unfortunate, but there is nothing that can be done in terms of allowing you out over the weekend" said the Acting Headmistress.

"But, Professor, Ahsoka needs to get out of here – even for a short while. She is going to be in the hospital wing for several more days before she can leave. Harry and I thought it might help if we went to a quiet part of the country, spent the weekend there alone, and hope that she feels alright to return to Hogwarts on the Monday morning. If it is lessons you are worried about, then we'll be back before they start" Hermione gave her details of what they wanted to do. "Ahsoka admitted she is terrified that Malfoy will come back and rape her all over again. With all of the jostling that goes on around here, if another boy touches her accidentally then she might flip and use her talents to kill him. All we want is two days to show that we still love her, still care for her and maybe show Ahsoka that not everybody here is going to rape her. Rumours are going to run around the school, so give us a few days away from everyone – after everything that Harry has done, you owe this much at the very least" and McGonagall couldn't help but marvel at the change in one of her favourite students. The older witch mulled the idea in her mind for a while before nodding in acceptance. As she watched Hermione leave the Transfiguration office, she idly wondered what the wizarding world would be like when they graduated Hogwarts. It would certainly be a most interesting experience, and she was looking forward to it.

#

A few days after the assault on Ahsoka, the students that had rushed to her defence came to see her in the hospital wing. She thanked each one personally for what they had done, and it seemed to help her put what had happened behind her. When it came to the weekend, Ahsoka was given as thorough an examination as was possible, and she was considered as well enough to leave the hospital wing. A short trip to pick up their travelling trunks meant a quick trip to Gryffindor tower, but the students wisely decided to stay out of Ahsoka's way. Whilst they did not know the full extent of her powers, they knew she was nearly as powerful as Harry when it came down to it – Hermione a very close third. This was not a slight on the young witch, but Harry did have some of Voldemort's power inside him. Ahsoka of course had her Jedi abilities to go on, but in a duel Hermione had very nearly defeated her. It was established by the Ministry that Hermione was only one or two points behind her. Once they had got their trunks, trio left Hogwarts via the floo and went to Grimmauld Place. They didn't want to be traced to their final location, and Harry had paid for Gringotts to establish a secured Floo connection between Grimmauld and the cottage at Beck Moor. It had once been a farm, but the outer buildings had become disused and were in a bad state of repair. Harry and Hermione had used magic to rebuild the walls, make them structurally safe and converted them into guest houses.

"I love this place" Ahsoka said as they came through the Floo. The connection put them in the front room which had walls of a deep scarlet colour. When they had chosen the carpeting, Hermione had chosen a soft purple one with a sheep skin rug next to the fireplace. Harry claimed it wasn't for effect, but rather for safety reasons!

"Me and Hermione did a lot of work on this" Harry told her. "We've done the downstairs, bedrooms, fitted a new bathroom and everything else in the house. My pride and joy is the kitchen. We put a lot of old fashioned stuff in there like a wood burning stove, a gas powered aga, copper pots and pans…" Harry stopped as Ahsoka hugged him tightly.

"Thank you for being nice to me" she whispered.

"That's alright" Harry replied.

"Now you've got your own room here" said Hermione as the other two pulled apart. "That's because you might be alright with Harry touching you, but you might wake up from a nightmare with you and him in the same bed, think he is doing what those three did to you and flip" and Ahsoka nodded in understanding.

"I don't think I'm ready for that sort of thing yet anyway" she told the pair. "I can do hugs, kisses and all that, but you're right about nights. Maybe when this is more in the past we could do what we used to" and with that she went to find which room was for herself. She was quite pleased with what she found, and discovered a room filled with pictures of Spitfires, Hurricanes, Lancasters and a few other old RAF aircraft. She had expressed a love of classic aircraft to Harry and Hermione, and they had taken her to the RAF museum at Hendon – wearing glamours of course. She had a huge wooden wardrobe to put her stuff in, and as she unpacked Ahsoka thought about her small rooms at the Jedi temple. The quarters given to Padawan learners always seemed a little too clean for the Togrutan's tastes. This room though had character to it already, and she looked out of the window to see the almost never ending countryside. Ahsoka had fallen in love with the green grass, the woods, rivers and streams and the rocks and cliffs all over the massive area. It was one of the reasons Harry had brought the cottage in the first place. Below her, and in the distance, she could just make out the town of Grosmont, nestled in the rolling valley. She went back to the last of her unpacking, picked up a book and went downstairs.

#

Hermione was already finished with her unpacking, and busying herself with the tasking of preparing dinner. They had been lucky that their revision plans had allowed for the entire afternoon off. Harry was the last to come downstairs, and gave the girls a hand with the cooking. Once everything was in the slow cooker, they went outside to take in the sun. They sprawled out in one of the large fields behind the house, with Harry in the middle of Hermione and Ahsoka. The alien looked at the scenery around her and thought once more how lucky she was to have ended up with Harry and Hermione. There was some discussion held with regards to what the trio should do over the weekend.

"I'd like to go on those trains" said Ahsoka.

"You sure?" asked Hermione. "Last time you saw one, you tried to cut the engine in half with your lightsaber" she laughed at the memory.

"That's what I'd like to do as well" said Harry. It was agreed that they would travel down to Grosmont in the morning and catch the train into Pickering, getting off at each stop to do a little exploring along the way. It was market day tomorrow at Pickering, so they could get some farm produce instead of the shop stuff.

"Harry? Hermione?" Ahsoka said after a long period of silence.

"Whats up 'soka?" Hermione asked, opening one eye and looking at one of her fiancées.

"Promise me both that you'll never leave me…" Ahsoka whispered.

"The only way we'll be parted is when one or all of us have died" Harry swore to her. He turn to face her and gave the girl a gentle kiss on the lips, noting how she stiffened slightly when he touched her. He was going to make sure that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle paid dearly for what they had done to Ahsoka.

**A/N:**

**No doubt some people will flame me for this, but I did give a clear warning at the beginning, so I can't be held responsible for whatever trauma was caused during the reading of this chapter. All flames will be transported to the NTC in Libya and used to burn Colonel Gaddafi – when they find him of course.**

**Moving on…**

**This chapter sort of took a life of its own, and I passed the 4600 word mark without realising it. What comes next is up to you to decide. Do you want to see the trio enjoying the weekend, with attempts to show Ahsoka sex can be a beautiful and loving thing – or do you want to skip that, have them return to Hogwarts and start the countdown to the final battle?**

**As mentioned in the Special Union and Children In Charge 2 updates, I shall be taking some time off to go on the NRM Shuttle train, the Carlisle Crusader and a few other charter train trips that I have more then earned the right to. I, of course, shall still reply to all Reviews and PM's that I get from you.**

**Warmest regards**

**Pixel**

**Coming Soon: Children In Charge 3 – All Grown Up**


	11. Nobbling The Witness

**Nobbling The Witness**

Ahsoka always loved the mornings, and she always tried to get up in time to watch the sun coming up. She watched the sun come up over the hills and opened the window to let the air fill the room. Ahsoka loved the cold smell of morning, and she breathed it in before heading to the bathroom to shower. Once she was clean and dried off, she dressed in some jeans, woollen checked shirt and knee length leather boots. It was an odd combination, but it suited Ahsoka, and that was good enough in the eyes of Harry and Hermione.

"Morning" Harry called as she entered the kitchen. He passed her a plate that she filled with toast. Once she was sat at the table, Ahsoka piled jam on every slice. Jam was something that she had never seen in all of her travels with the Jedi, and the Togrutan often had a jar of the stuff in her school bag to eat as a snack.

"Morning" Ahsoka said after she had finished eating. Harry just smiled and went back to finishing his paper. After Hermione had woken up, got sorted out and had had her breakfast, the three of them went about discussing what to do that day.

"I heard there is some kind of event going on at the railway" Harry said. "A Thomas the Tank Engine day" he added. Ahsoka suddenly became very active and started jumping up and down on the spot.

"CAN WE GO? CAN WE GO? CAN WE GO? CAN WE GO?" she shouted.

"I don't think they heard you in Japan" Hermione shook her head with a laugh.

"I suppose as we have nothing else to do" Harry said. "We have to do some shopping as well, and we'll be picking up some supplies in Whitby" and Hermione's eyes widened at that nugget.

"That's a really magical location" she mentioned. "Because of Dracula living there, it is actually a magically protected town. We're sure to find everything that we need…" and she came back to the kitchen. "I was off on one then, wasn't I?" and Harry and Ahsoka nodded.

"We'll take our wands with us at all times" Harry said. "I know things are quiet now, but you don't know how quickly that can change. Ahsoka, it's the glamour ring for you today. Or you can wear your cloak with the hood kept up" and Ahsoka thought about it for a moment or two.

"I'll go with the ring" she said at last. "I like my cloak a lot, but its nice to feel the breeze once in a while" and they finished getting ready to go out. They walked down the long drive to the lane and boarded a bus for Grosmont a few minutes later. It took about half an hour before they got to the small town, but they had more then enough time to have a walk around before they got on the steam train to Whitby. They spent most of the day in the fishing town, and they visited both muggle shops and magical ones. It was there that they got the most looks from people.

#

The trio had wondered down the shopping area, and came upon a small business that sold exotic herbs and spices. The paint on the front of the building was faded in parts, and the gold writing was peeling off and flaking in places. Inside were dozens of shelves with jars upon them. Some of them were so old; the labels had faded to a dull yellow from the age. The smell was therefore a mixture of spices and herbs, and it gave Harry a slight headache. Hermione and Ahsoka had loved it though and opened several jars and wooden boxes in an attempt to get clues as to what was inside.

"OH MY!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she took a sniff in one of seemingly oldest boxes in the entire shop.

"What?" Harry looked around for danger.

"I've found Ryshcate!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"Ryshcate?" Hermione said. "I thought you said that it never grew in our world" she added.

"I didn't think so either after mistaking cannabis for it, but I am certain in this case. This is defiantly Ryshcate" Ahsoka turned towards the shopkeeper who seemed as old as some of the contents he offered. "How did you get some of this stuff?" she asked, tapping the side of the wooden box.

"I bought it from a trader many years ago" the owner said. "It was nearly a hundred years ago, and a wizard came in offering to sell me some rare herbs and spices. When I came upon that jar you are holding, even he did not know what was inside. He said it had been taken from Dracula's own castle. I was younger then, and I purchased it on a whim but was never able to find out what it was. If you like it so much, you can have the entire lot for just four Galleons" and Ahsoka nearly burst from happiness at the news.

"That little for all of this box?" she asked with wonder.

"I think I may some more in the back. Let me find out for you" and the owner went into the back whilst Harry and Hermione selected more spices and herbs. Harry also picked up some seeds so he could grow some stuff in the greenhouses at Hogwarts. He had claimed an unused Greenhouse for his own use and was growing fruits and vegetables in the muggle manner. Neville and Hannah Abbott sometimes helped him as both were fond of gardening. He would have to tell them of the place, and Harry got two of the seed catalogues for the pair to go over, as well as one for himself. The owner came back with two more boxes full of the Ryshcate herbs, and he sold the whole lot to Ahsoka for the agreed four Galleons. As they walked back towards the train station, the Togrutan was already making plans to claim a greenhouse for herself and attempt to create a Ryshcate plant. She made a mental note to talk to Professor Sprout about supplies and things like that.

# # # # #

"Couldn't we just run away?" asked Ahsoka.

"I think I stick out too much in a crowd" said Harry with a smile. The few days away at the cottage had done Ahsoka a world of good after what had happened, and she seemed eager to resume her lessons. That Monday morning had seen the normal postal Owls, and a letter had been delivered to Ahsoka from the DMLE informing her of the trial date which was set for the 24th of the following month.

"Are you worried?" asked Hermione.

"Both yes and no" Ahsoka replied. "I am glad that the case is so soon, but I am uneasy about having to go through the whole event again" and the other two knew what she meant. Only in the most serious of cases could a Pensive be used and entered as evidence. Hermione had been consulting with Padma Patil and Susan Bones over old laws that were still in use. After going through the many law books that were in the school library, she thought she had got the basis of an idea.

"Would you like to go see McGonagall now?" Harry asked Ahsoka.

"Perhaps" said the girl. "I think though, I'd prefer to go and just get on with lessons" she said after a short pause.

"Okay then" the others agreed, and they left for the first class of the day – Potions. As she sat down, Ahsoka could see and feel the looks she was receiving from most of Slytherin. The double lesson went as well as could be expected, and after it was over, and most people were headed off to lunch, the trio went to see McGonagall in her office near the transfiguration classrooms. She used them more often then the office given to the Headteacher out of habit.

#

"I may well have come upon a way around your little… problem" said the Wizard.

"Then by all means explain it" said Lucius Malfoy.

"According to a ruling in 1678, it is impossible for a Pureblood to commit the act of rape against a witch or wizard. The most you could be charged with is assault, and that carries a fine of 100 Galleons per offence. Understanding that, I believe you could be charged with at least three separate counts" the Wizarding lawyer said to Draco.

"You really are good" he murmered.

"That is why your father hired me" the other wizard said.

"I was innocent of everything" Lucius said with a gleam in his eye.

"But of course" said the lawyer smoothly. "I shall talk to my contacts within the DMLE and see what I can discover regarding the other side's defence. With the right pay offs, most of their argument could well be thrown out on a technicality" and both Malfoys understood what that meant.

#

Harry was working in one of the greenhouses he had claimed for himself, and he was in the middle of sorting out the trays he needed for planting the seeds. He was just putting the bag of soil down when he heard sudden cries coming from a short distance away from him. As soon as he opened the door to the greenhouse, Harry could smell thick smoke and traced it back to the greenhouse Ahsoka was using to plant and grow her Ryshcate. He rushed over to see a couple of first years attempting to put out the fire with small jets of water.

"Is anybody inside?" he asked.

"Your girlfriend" said a black haired Ravenclaw. Harry could have sworn he had seen her many times before, but couldn't put his finger on it. Hermione came running up behind him, and together they smashed open the door and went inside the smoke infested greenhouse. Flames were everywhere, and the thick, heavy and acrid smoke got into their lungs as they attempted to create Bubblehead Charms but failed. They found Ahsoka lying on the floor face down by a small hole in a glass panel in a side wall. She wasn't injured or anything, but had found it quickly and was breathing out of it for some partially fresh air. She was a little weak from taking in the bad air of course, and Harry and Hermione grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out of the greenhouse which was now well alight. The trio fell onto the grass with tears running down their eyes and were wracked with chesty coughs. Professor Sprout came running over from her third year class. The class also came and helped the two first years put out the fire completely. Madam Pomfrey was soon on the scene to tend to the sick trio, and she took them to the hospital wing for further treatment. Sprout went over the ruins, and asked McGonagall to send for the DMLE to investigate.

#

"A timed charm?" Harry sat up in his bed.

"According to my investigators" Madam Bones said.

"But who would have set it?" Hermione thought aloud. "Those bastards that raped Ahsoka are in jail awaiting trial, and they wouldn't have known about things we brought back from our weekend away…"

"This was not the work of a student" Bones said. "This is something that only a fully trained witch or wizard could manage. Although saying that, I do believe either one of you three might be able to cast the charm" she added.

"What are you saying?" Harry narrowed his eyes towards the Director.

"I don't think I like that tone of voice, young man" she replied.

"And I don't think I like being accused of trying to kill my own fiancée" Harry said.

"I was merely saying that yourself, Miss Granger or Miss Tano might be powerful enough to have cast the charm" Madam Bones was backtracking a little. Even though it was a warm day, the temperature had dropped by several degrees all of a sudden. "Do you know of anybody who might wish Miss Tano harm?" she enquired.

"Lucius Malfoy for a start" Harry muttered, "But no doubt his alibi is tighter a straight man's arse in a leather club" and one of the accompanying Aurors laughed – much to the amusement of Harry and Hermione. "I can't prove it, but I bet that he arranged for it to happen to get Draco off the hook for what he did to Ahsoka. If Ahsoka was killed, then there would be no trial, and he would sue me for a great deal of money" and Hermione nodded in agreement. Seeing that she would get nowhere in the questioning of Harry and Hermione, Madam Bones left to return to the Ministry to see what the latest was with the investigation.

#

Regardless of the wrongness of the situation, Harry refused to let Ahsoka out of his reach at night, and so she spent the night in Harry's arms in his bed in the Gryffindor Boys' dorms. Hermione was also in the same bed as the other two, and Neville, Dean and Seamus had no objections, and in fact cleaned Ron's bed and pushed it next to Harry's so the trio had more room to sleep in. Ron had long since been given his own room by McGonagall for his own protection as much as anything else. Harry went into his dorm room followed by Ahsoka a few minutes later. Hermione had a shower, dressed in her pyjamas and then moved out of her shared dorm on Harry's broom through the window. She made a perfect landing in the middle of the sixth year boys dorm, and Seamus motioned Hermione to a chair by the table. The girl was quickly dealt into the next game, and the poker school ran into the night.

"Noooo!" Ahsoka bolted upright in bed. She was shaking and covered in a cold sweat.

"What's wrong?" Harry said quietly.

"Harry? Oh, Harry… I thought they had come for me again" Ahsoka sobbed into Harry's chest. Hermione had also awoken, and she patted Ahsoka's back and made small circles in order to calm her down. They were both grateful they had put silencing and privacy charms around the bed for such an event. Harry kept a lid on his anger, but Hermione could see he wanted to do a great deal of harm to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. It was nearly an hour before Ahsoka went back to sleep – after a quick wandless clean up from Hermione - and she asked if they could keep a dim light on so she wasn't scared as much.

#

"A word please, Mr Potter" McGonagall said as they entered for her class the next morning. "You too Miss Granger and Miss Tano" and the three of them stepped outside into the corridor.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"I understand that both yourself and Miss Tano spent the night in the sixth year boys dorm" McGonagall said.

"That's right" Harry said.

"You do know that it is breaking several school rules?" McGonagall told them.

"Professor, Ahsoka was a wreck last night. Four times she woke up last night screaming from the nightmares that haunt her dreams" Hermione said. "Harry wanted to protect her, and so did I"

"I thought it would look bad if I went into the room with Hermione, Ahsoka, Lavender and Parvati in it" Harry said.

"Nonetheless, you should have left the care of Miss Tano to Misses Granger, Brown and Patil" McGonagall said.

"Professor, have you ever been raped?" Ahsoka said bluntly. The older woman blinked for several seconds before replying.

"No… No I have not" and the look that she got in reply would haunt McGonagall for many months to follow.

"Then pray you never do" Ahsoka turned round and walked back into class with Harry and Hermione following. During the double lesson that followed, the trio only spoke to their teacher when asked a direct question – and even then the phrasing was very precise and cold.

#

Over the days and weeks before the trial, three more incidents took place involving Ahsoka, and each time the teaching staff and Aurors could find nothing of any value. Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka were sure that it was somebody connected to the court case, but of course they could not prove that to be the truth of the matter. It was clear that somebody either wanted Ahsoka dead or drop the charges against Malfoy and his goons.

"The Knight Bus should be here soon" Hermione said, looking at her watch for the time.

"Best get down to the gates" Ahsoka said. The three of them carried a backpack with a few days worth of clothes inside them. They also had a few essentials as well as personal items they wished to take with them. Within an hour, they had arrived in London and settled into their accommodations for the next few nights. They had decided to not reside in Grimmauld Place, nor spend the time in the Leaky Cauldron. Instead, Madam Bones had arranged for them to spend the trial in a special set of rooms next door to the cells at the Ministry. This avoided being ambushed in the alley or Atrium by a person or persons wishing to cause harm. The rooms included a small bathroom, a sitting room, and a single bedroom. A quick enlarging of the bed solved the sleeping problems for them. Meals would be brought to them via Dobby, and only a select few Aurors knew of the trio living inside the Ministry until the trial was over with. With all of these security precautions in place, the three of them understood the need to remain in their rooms, and this gave them the time and chance to finish up any course work needing doing, read a book and listening to some classical or jazz music. They all shared a love of Glenn Miller whom had been murdered on the orders of the dark wizard Grindlewold just before Miller had set off for Paris.

"Mistress Soakie?" Dobby popped into the sitting area. He was holding a small box with something dark and powdery looking inside.

"Yes, Dobby?" Ahsoka looked up from reading a book on fighter aircraft.

"This was delivereds for you" the elf gave her the box which turned out to be a small supply of Ryshcate. Dobby waited a few seconds before vanishing to start work on the trios dinner.

_Dear Miss Tano,_

_I found this in a create of supplies given to me the other day._

_After remembering your fondness for the stuff, I've sent the lot to you._

_There is no need to send me any money for it, I don't stock the stuff anymore, so you might as well have it._

_Regards_

_Parsley T Leaf_

"Maybe I could try to get some plants growing again" Ahsoka mused. She opened the box to smell the contents, but they flew out at her eyes, nose and mouth and in a few short moments she was lying on the floor in a cloud of herbs and breathing very shallowly indeed. On the way down, she had hit the coffee table and cut her head wide open.

"Miss Tano?" a pair of Aurors stepped into the room and looked upon Ahsoka's fallen and barely breathing form.

"Looks like she's in a bad way" said the second Auror.

"Lets get out of here" said the first, and the pair of them left the rooms and headed away from the Ministry to get alibis in place.

#

"… house arrest" Madam Bones finished.

"It isn't your fault" Hermione replied. The head of the DMLE had been explaining that Lucius had got Draco out of Azkaban and put under house arrest.

"I really should not be discussing this with either of you, but there is a chance that Draco Malfoy might get off with only a minor charge" she said.

"That is not the issue" Harry said. "What we need to know is how many people would support Lucius Malfoy's claims that Dra…"

"MADAM BONES! MADAM BONES!" an Auror came into the office.

"What do you think you are doing?" Bones asked. The young woman creased forwards from a shortness of breath before giving an explanation.

"I tried to get in the room where Mr Potter and his fiancées are, but there was no reply from inside. I know that Miss Tano was inside, but I couldn't open the door at all. I checked for privacy wards, but there was nothing around the door that I could see" Harry frowned in puzzlement.

"She can't have forgotten the unlocking spell" and he and Hermione went down to their rooms with Bones and the Auror following them close behind. A few minutes later, they had got round the corner in the corridor of the secure cell block, and Hermione did the spell to unlock the door.

"Ahsoka, we're bac… HARRY!" she screamed and ran over to Ahsoka who was lying face down on the floor. Both her and Harry turned her over onto her back and Harry put two fingers on the girl's neck.

"Shit…" he swore. "No pulse" and he started chest compressions at once.

"Get the duty healer" Madam Bones said to the Auror who nodded and ran as fast as she could.

"Anything?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Still no pulse" she replied, "And we don't know how long she was like this" Hermione added.

"Come on, Ahsoka" Harry said as he started pounding on Ahsoka's rib cage again. "Don't let the bastards win" and he started doing the chest compressions again as Hermione did the breaths. Madam Bones just sat back and watched the pair of them work together as a well oiled machine.

"_Still_ no pulse…" Hermione said after the third minute of chest compressions.

"I wish we had the magical version of a defibul…" Harry went silent as he thought of something that was drastic. "Hermione, move away from her" and Hermione wondered what he was going to do as she moved and he took out his wand. "This better work" and concentrated very hard on focusing the intent of his spell.

"What are you tryin.." Madam Bones began, but she was cut off by the casting of the spell.

"_CRUCIO_!" he shouted, and the spell hit Ahsoka over her heart. She arched upwards then fell back again.

"Do you know what you have done?" Bones asked Harry as Hermione attempted to find a pulse.

"What had to be done" Harry said.

"There was a pulse just for a moment" Hermione informed him. "I'll do one set of compressions and then hit her again" and Harry nodded. In the corridor beyond, the three of them could hear running footsteps coming towards them.

"I came as fast as I could" said the Healer as he entered the room.

"NOW!" Hermione shouted, and Harry hit Ahsoka with another _Crucio_.

"Anything?" he asked.

"A pulse… its very weak indeed, but its definitely there" Hermione said, then moved aside for the healer to work on Ahsoka.

"You realise that I have to arrest you" Madam Bones said.

"No you don't" Hermione came to Harry's side.

"But he used an Unforgivable, and that earns a lifetime in Azkaban"

"The laws says on another human being. As you know very well, Ahsoka is not technically human. Even if that were so, she was dead anyway so the law doesn't apply" Hermione said.

"You god damned Sea Lawyer" growled Bones.

"I would thank you to withdraw that remark, or I shall ask for satisfaction" Harry said calmly, and his eyes flashed with fire as he twirled his wand around in his hand.

"If you lot would stop arguing, then I have managed to stabilise my patient" the healer said. "I have to get her to St Mungos right now" and Harry called for Dobby.

"Can you please take this healer and Ahsoka to St Mungos please?" he asked the elf. "I want you to stay with Ahsoka until me and Hermione get there" Harry added.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter, Sir" the elf squeaked as he looked at Ahsoka lying on the floor in an unhealthy colour.

"Now listen, Dobby" Harry bent down to the elf. "This healer and his colleagues will need certain potions and things. I am giving you permission to take orders from them that will help Ahsoka" and the elf nodded and then vanished with the Healer and Ahsoka.

"We need to find out what happened here" Hermione said after a while.

"Very well" said Madam Bones. "I shall put my best team on the case" she turned to Harry. "Now I must ask you for your wand" she said to him.

"I don't think so" Harry replied. "I've just saved her life, and now you want to put me in jail for it? Get stuffed…" and he started walking out of the rooms with Hermione by his side.

"Aurors, place Harry Potter under arrest" Madam Bones said clearly. The small party blocked the only exit out, and both the teens brought their wands out to bear.

"Move yourselves, or we'll do it for you" Hermione said.

"Please don't make this any more difficult for us" said the young Auror who had alerted them to the trouble in the first place.

"Move" Hermione ordered.

"And if we don't?" asked the Auror.

"Then pray that death is swift" Harry muttered something and sparks flew out of his wand. The Aurors looked at each other and parted ranks to allow Harry and Hermione through.

"Why did you let him go? you had a direct order from me" Madam Bones demanded an explanation.

"I want to reach retirement age" a voice spoke.


	12. Near Death Experience

**Near Death Experience  
**

"Have you got any idea what happened to Ahsoka?" asked Harry. The girl was lying in bed with a number of magical devices surrounding her.

"Not much" said the Healer in charge of Ahsoka's wellbeing. "We think it might be some kind of blood poisoning, and we're running a complete check on that now. There is no sign of any major cranial injury, and we've found no other signs of wounds which might indicate a violent struggle"

"You said major injury" Hermione said.

"There was the cut on her head, but that would not have done any harm to her other then some swelling and the associated stuff too" the Healer said. "Right now, there is no reason that she should be in a coma, but as you can see she is in one. Should anything happen to her, then these devices will either take the required action or sound a warning for a team to attend" and they watched Ahsoka in the silence. It was only broken by the occasional beep and the soft humming of the devices.

"So what now?" Harry asked.

"There is nothing that we can do for the moment" the healer replied. "You can sit in the waiting room if you wish, but you may be there for some hours. We have a small café on level five if you want something to eat" and the pair huddled and talked quietly amongst themselves.

"We'd like to use an office" said Hermione. "We should get a message to Professor McGonagall" she added.

"Yes, of course" the healer said. "You can use my office if you wish. It is just along the corridor" and Harry and Hermione left their partner reluctantly.

#

"I would like your attention, please" McGonagall said at dinner that evening. In a few moments the great hall was completely silent. "One of our students, Ahsoka Tano, has been attacked by an unknown person and methods. She is gravely ill at St Mungos hospital, and is currently lying in a deep coma" McGonagall took a few moments to compose herself. The hall gasped and murmured at the news she had imparted. "Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are at St Mungos with Miss Tano, and are waiting for any change in situation. As soon as I know anything, I shall inform your head of house and they will then tell you. I will give you an update tomorrow morning. Thank you" and they all missed the smiles on the faces of Ron and Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson.

#

"HARRY!" Hermione shook him awake. He stirred slowly at first and sat up from the seats he had been lying across.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Two thirty in the morning" Hermione said, and handed Harry a cup of tea. "Thought you could do with one of these" and he nodded before taking a much needed sip.

"Any change?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Blood results came back" she replied. "They can't find anything wrong with Ahsoka. They taken into account her differences, but they still can't figure out what is wrong. Ahsoka herself is still in a coma, and the Healer said we could see her later on in the morning" and they drank the tea together.

"I'll take the next couple of hours" Harry said, "You look as if you could do with the sleep" and Hermione nodded and took another bench seat to lie on. Harry left the waiting room and walked down the corridor to where the duty Healers were gathered.

"I am afraid that there is still no change" said one of the Healers.

"I figured that" Harry shook his head. "I wanted to know what you found in the blood work" and the Healers looked at each other for several seconds.

"We can't discuss that" said a second person, "You are not her next of kin" and Harry leant on the wall.

"I was aware of that, but just give me something for my peace of mind" he said.

"As I've just said, there is nothing that we can tell you" said the first Healer. "The information given to your friend, Miss Granger, should not have been given to her"

"Damn it, man…. We're supposed to be getting married soon. So don't you dare give me the '_not next of kin_' piece of fucking shit!" Harry hissed.

"Mr Potter, you have to understand that we have never treated a person like Ahsoka Tano before. We have no basis to compare her to, and the exams made by Poppy Pomfrey can only aid us somewhat" the second Healer spoke. She opened a file and turned it round for Harry to look at. "The blood tests indicated a number of strange markers, but these matched the markings indicated by Pomfrey's scans. If it was a poison, then it must either be a new one, or something so obscure that we do not normally scan for it. We are so desperate that we drew another sample and sent it off for testing the muggle way. We sometimes do that for tricky cases"

"TRICKY CASES?" Harry thundered. "This is a life we're talking about, not a difficult crossword puzzle!" and it took all of his control not to tear into the healer with his bare hands.

"I am sure my colleague did not mean it in that way, Mr Potter" said the upto now quiet third Healer. "Sometimes the muggles come up with methods that are better then anything we can use in the magical world. As we've already said, the patient is in a deep coma, and she continues to be like that. Blood works come back as inconclusive, blood pressure is extremely low and all we can do is keep monitoring the situation and hope for the best" the Healer paused to think of how to phrase his next words. "Mr Potter, from what you've said, Miss Tano was without oxygen to her brain for at least three minutes, if not more. It was only through your use of the _Cruciatus_ spell that brought her back to life again. What I am trying to say, is that she may well be brain damaged from the lack of oxygen to the brain. If that is the case, then there are a few things we can do to ensure some kind of life for her, but she would need round the clock care. She would not be able to feed herself, use the toilet, clean herself… pretty much everything. I do not think that Professor McGonagall could countenance such an action whilst you are still in school" and Harry blinked a few times as he went over what he was just told.

"So are you suggesting that me and Hermione pull the plug?" he demanded.

"I think that is one possibility"

"Consider it considered and rejected" Harry said firmly. "I will not do anything that will deny Ahsoka even a splinter of a chance. So she might need round the clock care? She might never walk again? I don't see why that should be much of a problem to you" he added.

"But you would not want to be married to somebody who needed a wheelchair to ge…" the first Healer was cut off by Harry punching him in the jaw with a right hook. He was flung into the stone wall and hit his back on it.

"No matter how Ahsoka ends up, I will still love her with all my heart. You just do your job, and I will do mine" and with that, Harry turned and walked off in search of something to eat.

#

Aurors worked around the clock in the DMLE lab, and they were going over the room with a fine tooth comb. They had taken several objects from the suite which had Ahsoka imprints on it, including an oversized pencil shaped thing that had vaginal fluid from both Ahsoka and Hermione on it. Nobody knew what it was for, and they all wondered if the trio had been running medical experiments of some strange type. At one point, it had jumped into life and slid all over the lab table. They were just about to leave when one of them spotted the box of Ryshcate lying on the floor. Some of the herbs were still in the box, and the Auror did not know what it was. He put it in a clean bag and then went to the lab to investigate and do some tests. The auror spent nearly an hour running the herbs through every test he could think of, and ended up with a match from Ahsoka's blood samples. Apart from the herbs, there was also a trace amount of some unknown contaminant which may have been the cause of Ahsoka's coma. He ran the substance through all known magical herbs and substances in the Ministry records, but found no match. Realising that it had to be something from the muggle world, he secured his lab with a couple of powerful privacy charms and went to speak to the duty Senior Auror

#

There had been a change in Ahsoka's condition during the early hours of the morning, and her blood pressure had lowered and several of the potions had stopped working. Harry and Hermione were laying down on the bench seats in the waiting room, but neither of them could get to sleep.

"When I find out who did this, I am going to make them pay for what they did" Hermione said.

"I was thinking of taking off their fingers, thumbs and toes very slowly. Then their legs and arms before finally letting them bleed out to death" Harry replied.

"Ooh… can I help?" Hermione enquired.

"Sure" Harry replied, "But we would need to find out who did this first" and the door to the room opened.

"I think you already know him" said Madam Bones. "It seems that you purchased some herbs from a small store several weeks ago"

"Ahsoka did, yes" Hermione said, and she and Harry sat bolt upright.

"We discovered some more of these herbs whilst going over your rooms, and there was also a note jammed in between one of the cushions of the sofa. We are uncertain how the herbs got to Miss Tano" said one of the two Aurors that had accompanied Bones.

"Dobby!" Harry called out, and the elf appeared in the waiting room.

"The great Harry Potter called Dobby?" he asked.

"Dobby, this lady is Madam Bones of the DMLE. She would like to ask you some questions about what happened to Ahsoka" Harry sat the elf on a seat near to him. "You have to be very sure about your answers" he added, and Dobby nodded carefully.

"Right then, elf" Bones began, but Hermione did an Umbridge style of cough.

"His name is Dobby. Please use it" she said.

"I apologise" Bones was startled at the way Hermione was treating the elf. Although she herself had two elves at her own home that she treated fairly, she still saw them as servants. Dobby was being thought of as a member of the family. "Dobby, do you remember what parcels and other things that you brought to your Master and Mistresses?" she asked.

"Yes, Madam Bonesy" Dobby said.

"Did you give any packages to Miss Tano?" Bones went on.

"I's gave hers four packages" the elf replied clearly.

"What were they?" Bones wondered of Dobby.

"Books, Food, Growns ups to…"

"Dobby be silent!" Hermione said quickly. Bones and the two Aurors wondered the third package contained.

"Skip the third item, Dobby" Harry said. "That is a private thing" and the elf nodded.

"A small box that was delivered to a post box the Great Harry Potter uses" the elf finished. "Dobby not be knowing whats be in its" he added after a moment.

"And it was addressed to Ahsoka directly?" Harry asked the elf before Bones could do so herself.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter, Sir" Dobby replied quickly.

"Harry!" Hermione had suddenly figured out what had happened. "Whatever hit Ahsoka, it had to have been in the box of herbs. And we have only found them in one place…" and Harry leant down and gave Dobby a whispered order. Moments later, the three of them had vanished.

#

Customers preferred to apperate in on occasions, and this always produced the crack of apperation. Elf travel didn't do this, and so the store owner didn't know of the presence of Harry and Hermione until they had blasted him towards the wall.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Hermione raged as she and Harry approached him.

"I don't know what you mean" the man cowered on the floor where he had fallen.

"Ahsoka is nearly dead because of you. Now what did you put in that box?" Harry asked him. Both wands pointed at his head, and the store keeper was sure that they would kill him.

"I only gave your friend some herbs that I had found. I posted them to the address she left with me. What has happened?" he asked.

"Ahsoka has been poisoned by something that came from you" Hermione was trying hard to keep a check on her anger.

"But I never did such a thing" the man's eyes darted between the pair, and then oddly to a point just behind them. Harry caught the change in gaze, and wheeled round to see Lucius Malfoy sneaking out of the shop.

"_Incarcious_" and the elder Malfoy was tied up with thick ropes. "_Petrikikus Totalus_" he added, and ensured he would not be escaping any time soon. "Now, as for you…" Harry turned back to face the man. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way. Mione, clear that top while I think of some spells to hit him with" and Hermione banished the counter top, and lifted the man on top of it and secured him with rope.

"_Crucio_" Harry was surprised to see Hermione use it, but the man jerked and thrashed in his binds.

"Now, tell us _exactly_ what you did" Harry said, "Or my friend might get to play some more" and after three more dark spells, multiple cracks told them that Aurors had arrived.

"Put your wands down, and place your hands out in front of you" said the Senior Auror.

"Go boil your head" Hermione said. "This man has been working with Lucius Malfoy to get rid of Ahsoka Tano by way of killing her. You'll find him over there" she gestured in the general direction of his prone form.

"Take them both to wherever you take scum like this, and use Veritaserum on the pair of them. Find out what they put inside that box of herbs. If you want us, you know where to find us" and Dobby returned them both to St Mungos without being asked to do so.

#

"I am afraid that there is still no way to treat whatever is affecting Miss Tano. A number of the potions we are giving her are not being as good as they once were. We should be getting something later today from our muggle worked blood samples, but it might just confirm a face we all seem to hate to think about" said the Healer.

"Is there anything that you can do at all?" Harry asked. He, like Hermione, had red ringed eyes from all the crying that had gone on.

"Nothing I know will work" said the Healer. "As it is, Miss Tano doesn't respond to any kind of stimulus, and she has been on full life support for the last 18 hours. Perhaps she shouldn't be on it anymore" her added slowly. He was expecting a wave of anger from both of them, but was relieved when it merely started snowing in the corridor.

"You mean pull the plug? Let Ahsoka just die?" Hermione asked.

"I think that is something we should be considering at this time" the Healer said. "I have done every check that I know of, and I can be certain that she is not in any pain. The brain is dead, and we're just keeping the internal organs going now. I think its best that we let her go peacefully" and Harry and Hermione looked at each other with sadness.

"We'll give it another hour" they both said.

"Of course" said the Healer. He had had to face this situation often during the Dark War, and he led the pair to an unused office for privacy.

#

"I wonder what she wants with us" Neville said as he sat next to Luna. All lessons had been suspended, and everyone had been asked to come to the Great Hall for an announcement.

"Something with Ahsoka I think" Luna replied. McGonagall was at the front of the hall talking to the staff who all wore shocked and horrified faces. Several of them wept openly. A few moments later, she faced the assembled students.

"I called you all here because I have some terrible news to impart. I have been Floo called by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and they inform me that Ahsoka Tano is now brain dead and being kept alive by artificial means. In half an hour, they will turn off the life support devices and let her slip away…" McGonagall had to stop and wipe the tears that streamed down her face. When she resumed, her voice was choked full of emotion. "Lessons for the rest of the day have been cancelled, and any tests shall be rearranged for a later day. Those of you that believe in a deity or deities should pray for Ahsoka for she is beyond the help of mortal man… That's all" and the students either remained on their seats or else left in groups. Whatever the case, they all wondered one thing.

How would this change Harry and Hermione?

#

The knowledge of what they had to do shortly aged both Harry and Hermione, and they looked like they had escaped a death camp. They sat and hugged each other as they cried for what seemed like a thousand years. A few minutes before they had to do their terrible task, the door opened up and the same Healer walked in.

"We have something" he said.

"What do you mean?" asked the pair, slowly rising to their feet.

"The muggle tested blood samples came back just now. The contaminant that we picked up in both the herbs and the blood stream was Anthrax. It is a highly controlled substance, and you have to be a Master Potions Maker in order to use it. It is used in the treatment of magical creatures, and is fatal to Humans. Because of your friend's difference, it was vastly accelerated in spreading. We're making a potion now, and we should see a result a minute or two after that" the Healer said.

"But you said she was brain dead…" Hermione shook her head to try and clear it.

"It seems we were wrong. We did a check to be certain for the records that she was, and we detected the faintest glimmer of activity. The scans we used before we're automatic, but this time it was a manual scan. However, the effects of the counter potion will leave your friend very weak, and she'll have to use a wheelchair for a time" the Healer took them to Ahsoka's room where the potion was force fed to her.

"And now we wait…" Harry and Hermione held each other as they stood by and waited for any kind of change. There was nothing but the gentle beeping of the life support devices, and Harry, Hermione and the Healer team waited for a change which came after an hour.

WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO

The team sprang into action and started casting spells and adjusting the devices. The watching teens looked on with fear, but it was dispelled when one of the team informed them that the counter potion was breaking down the Anthrax spores. News was passed on to both Hogwarts and the DMLE so charges could be brought against the shop owner and Lucius Malfoy. It was another three hours before Ahsoka's eye fluttered open.

"Wuh… am my?" she asked.

"You're in St Mungos" said the Healer. Harry and Hermione would have said something themselves, but they had formed a two person conga line and were last seen heading down the corridor dancing happily.

"Your partners will be back soon… I hope" added a second Healer.

#

"Lucius Isaac Malfoy, you are hereby charged with the following counts. Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice, Attempting to Pervert the Course Of Justice, Dealing in a Controlled Substance, Being a member of a banned group, Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, Attempted Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Attempted Murder. Do you deny any of these charges?" asked an Auror. She was masked in order to prevent any possible recriminations by other Death Eaters.

"I was drugged and under spells" Malfoy said.

"I will take that as a 'yes' Mr Malfoy" the Auror spoke. "Because of the seriousness of these crimes, you will be held here at the Ministry under heavy and round the clock guard" and with that she turned around and walked out of the cell which closed its own door and completed a magical circuit. At once, the door on both sides was protected by a bright purple barrier to stop people getting in or out.

"What are your orders, Madam Director?" asked a second Auror.

"Veritaserum the pair of them, and tell me exactly what you get from the questioning. Stuff the rules this time around" Bones replied. "We've failed Harry Potter a number of times before, and I am not going to do so again. Find out where those spores came from, who gave them to Lucius Malfoy and see if you can get a list of Death Eaters for me. I know that some managed to get into the Ministry, and I'd love desperately to get one over old toad face" she added, referring to Umbridge.

"What shall I do about the case?" asked a third Auror. "It is supposed to start tomorrow, and we have no way of knowing if Tano can even make it" he added.

"From what I understand, Ahsoka Tano appointed Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to represent her in legal matters if she was otherwise not available. Knowing those two as well as I do, they will insist that the case goes ahead as planned" Bones said, and left to sign papers authorising the use of truth serum on two prisoners.

#

Over the next couple of hours, Ahsoka gained a little strength and Harry and Hermione began to fill her in on what she had missed. She, in turn, was able to fill them in on what exactly had happened to her when she got the package from Dobby. Harry and Hermione were overjoyed that Ahsoka had returned to them, but the lack of sleep caught up with them, and they soon conked out in a chair each. A Healer that came in to give Ahsoka another dose of the counter potion saw the sleeping figures, and expanded the bed for them to lie on. Soon, all three of them shared a bed and dreamt dreams of a happier and brighter future together.

#

"… stupid Mudblood" said Pansy thickly.

"I don't understand how she could have survived" Ron said.

"The _Prophet_ said she survived the poisoning by her unique powers" Pansy snorted. "More like her freakishness" she spat.

"When they come back to Hogwarts, we'll put paid to her ideas by eliminating her" said Ginny. "Then we can all have whom we're supposed to have" she added.

"So long as I get my Mione as a sex slave" Ron added.

"And that will never happen" said McGonagall. All three turned in the unused classroom to see the Headmistress, and Professors Sprout and Flitwick with the Head Boy and Girl tagging along with them. All five had wands drawn and pointing at them. "I heard what you just said, and for that I am deeply angry and disappointed. All three of you are suspended, and you will be placed in isolated rooms for tonight. Your parents will be informed and asked to collect you. As of this moment, you are suspended from school pending an investigation" They were taken away one at a time by the Head Boy and Head Girl to an isolated and secured room. Once the door was shut, it locked in a complicated manner that only the staff knew of. The fastest Owls were dispatched in order to reach the homes of the Weasleys and of Pansy Parkinson by the morning. As a matter of curtasy, McGonagall floo called the DMLE to let them know what had happened. They then sent a note to the duty worker in the Underage Magic office to inform them that the wands belonging to the three had been confiscated, and would be handed over to their parents the following morning.

#

Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka were told of the previous night's events in a letter sent by some of their friends. Hedwig had taken some convincing to take an order from somebody then her owners, but Daphne Greengrass spoke politely to the Owl and explained that it was very important that they go the letter. If they didn't, then Harry would be hurt, his mind would be jumbled and he would forget, perhaps, to buy her some Owl treats. The bird had very nearly apperated over to her in reply!

"I wish you could stay" said Ahsoka from her hospital bed.

"I wish you could come with us" Hermione said. Both she had Harry had performed a couple of cleaning and freshening charms on themselves before dressing in smart suits for the court case. They had to attend or risk Draco go free, and this was something that they could afford not to allow.

"We'll bring you back a souvenir" Harry said as he opened the door.

"How about Draco's head on a silver platter with garnish?" Ahsoka said after a moment's thought. She said it so dead pan that neither Harry nor Hermione could tell if she was joking or not.

"We'll see you later" they both said at the same time, and left the room and passed the Goblin guards. Upon learning that Ahsoka would make it, Harry had hired two pairs of Goblins to watch over Ahsoka. They took it in 12 hour shifts to ensure that nobody tried again to silence the girl. The pair of them moved to the floo points and travelled to the Ministry to begin the case.

**A/N:**

**First of all, I am going to address an issue that ticked me off. I was informed by somebody that a rumour has gone round certain users that this author is in the habit of wearing ladies underwear. I will not say who sent the message to me, nor who started it, but suffice to say I do not wear them. There _was_ that one time, but that was because I was in a production of Cinderella, and the Ugly Sisters are played by guys normally, so that's that… I know who it is, and they are now under very heavy survailence. It sometimes pays to have contacts in the world of computer hacking.**

**Now then…**

**For the first time ever in a fanfic of mine, there are two variants to an update. Variant 12a has the ending that had Ahsoka dying and would have finished the story. Variant 12b is the chapter you have been reading. If you want the alternate version to read, then send me a PM MESSAGE with an email address and I will dispatch to you in order of receipt.**

**The next chapter will be quite a while as I have other things I want to be working on. Not just Special Union, Adults In Charge and Counter Attack, but also my new Harry Potter fic which is still top secret to everybody.**

**Interesting to note I have received a number of reviews for my 100 plus chapter fic Harry Potter True Friends. It surprised me a great deal to know that the old girl still gets reviews. Also, I'm doing a little survey of sorts, so if you have been reviewing my fics since before True Friends was completed, then could you please let yourselves be known? Like to see who is still with me after all these years. The annual Pixel And Stephanie Forever awards are due soon, so some of you might get the prize involving cameos in a story of mine of your choice. It is a HIGHLY sought after and coveted prize after all!**

**Regards**

**Pixel And Stephanie**

**Awake for 16 hours.**

**Sober for 15 hours 59 minutes **


	13. Setback

**Setback**

"Silence in the court" called an official. The noise in the court dropped as the door behind the bench opened and the judge walked out. It had taken some doing, but a Judge had been found who had no loyalties to any of the involved parties. John Holt was a judge who normally dealt with cases involving petty theft and slight damage to property, but now he was being asked to deal with a case that had no other suitable person to preside over.

"Hear ye, Hear ye" the court scribe spoke loudly. "The case of Ahsoka Tano versus Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle is now in session. The Honourable Mr Justice Holt presiding" and the judge sat and motioned everybody to sit down. Malfoy and his two goons smirked at Harry and Hermione who ignored the looks they got from the trio.

"My Lord" the solicitor for the accused stood up. "The person bringing the charges is not present in the court, and two school children are sat in her place. As she has not turned up, I request that Ahsoka Tano's charges be dismissed against my clients"

"Your honour" Hermione stood up, "Ahsoka Tano is still too weak to move from her hospital bed, but she has appointed myself and Mr Harry James Potter as her legal representatives. She has signed a document stating this, and it was witnessed and counter signed by two Healers at St Mungo's" and Holt asked to see the document, and declared it valid after reading it carefully.

"You may begin" Holt said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, my clients are the subject of a great misunderstanding. Miss Tano approached them with a request to engage in sexual relations with the three of them. The request also included freely being put under mind control during the act because Miss Tano found she was 'turned on' by the thought" the solicitor began by questioning Ahsoka's acts since she had first arrived at Hogwarts.

"Did she attack my client?" he asked Harry.

"Yes, however she was pro…" Harry was cut off.

"Just a yes would have been good enough" said the solicitor. "Your honour, she then went on to attack a number of students, assault the Headmaster and eventually poison a large number of the pupils at Hogwarts"

"Objection!" Hermione called. "Ahsoka was confused by herbs that smelt like those from her home universe".

"Sustained" Holt said. "We all make mistakes" and the solicitor nodded sharply before changing tracks.

"Mr clients are fine and upstanding members of society" he slimed. "Do we really want to put a stain on their records? I am sure that Mr Potter and Miss Granger would accept a settlement in exchange for having Miss Tano drop the charges"

"Hang on…" Harry looked at the standing man. "Are you trying to bribe us?"

"Yes… what is so wrong with that?" the solicitor asked them with all seriousness.

"Are you not going to say something?" asked Hermione to Holt.

"It _is _permitted" Holt replied.

"Oh, is it now…?" Harry said. "Well you can consider the offer rejected. We have instructions from Ahsoka to punish you to the fullest extent possible"

#

"I would really like to know what you are doing" said a Healer as Ahsoka pushed back the covers of her hospital bed.

"Need to get to the Ministry" the Togrutan replied.

"A coffin is what you will be needing" the Healer said. "Your partners will be here in an hour's time. If you stay here, keep warm and take plenty of fluids and potions, we'll let you out for the afternoon" and the Healer gently pushed Ahsoka back and covered her up.

"You can never keep her down when she is ill" Harry said from the doorway.

"I was not expecting you for another hour" said the Healer.

"Court was put in recess to consider some kind of new law point" Hermione explained.

"Well then, I think I'll leave you three alone" and the Healer left the private room.

"How long do you have to stay in here for?" Harry asked.

"The Healer doing the tests said I might be able to leave in about three days" Ahsoka moaned.

"It isn't that long" said Hermione soothingly.

"But I just _hate_ hospital beds" Ahsoka reminded them once more. The Togrutan liked to run around a lot, and being in the hospital bed had to be torture for her.

"Lets see what we can find out" Harry said softly, putting his cloak over the back of a chair and reaching out to stroke one of her lekku. Ahsoka's agitated state instantly vanished as she closed her eyes and purred in delight. This was the closest she had been to intimacy since her attack, and the pair of hands now stroking her lekku was slowly arousing the girl.

"Harry…?" she managed to get out.

"Mmm?"

"Take me"

"Take you where"

"Take me here…" Ahsoka opened her eyes and looked at one of her human lovers. "I want you to make love to me her and now"

"I'm not really sure about that, 'Soka" Hermione commented. "You've only just got over being attacked by Malfoy and his goons"

"I don't want to be scared of sex forever, Mione" Ahsoka replied.

"If you are certain about this, Ahsoka" Harry frowned. "I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do" but Ahsoka repeated her request.

"That should stop anybody getting in" Hermione muttered with a flick of her wand. She had cast a powerful locking charm on the door to the room.

# # # # #

They had to get some Ministry Cursebreakers to unlock the door some four hours later, and the Healers and the Goblin guards poured into the room to find three naked teens sprawled on the enlarged hospital bed without a cover over their bodies.

"I see that this is what they mean by Sex Therapy" commented Griphook dryly.

# # # # #

The trio woke up with no idea they had been found having had sex in St Mungos, and they cleaned themselves up with a few spells before dressing each other with a number of kisses along the way. When Harry and Hermione stepped outside, nothing was amiss as everybody had had their memories wiped of the incident, so the two teens didn't know that Hermione's locking charm had been broken. They requested the right forms for Ahsoka to sign which stated she wished to be transferred to a different hospital – mainly Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. The pair went back to the Ministry in time for the court session to be reconvened, and they entered the court room and took their seats for the resumption.

"We have reconvened early to hear a point by Mr Fox" Holt gestured at the lawyer.

"Members of the court" Fox began. "I ask that you dismiss the charges against my client for one simple reason. Ahsoka Tano is not human, and therefore can not be a party in a case such as this. I am, of course, aware that she was declared human like by an earlier sitting, however the law is very clear and can not be changed in any way shape or form. Despite what her legal team might say, you will see that there is no other option then to clear my clients' records and order their return to Hogwarts at the soonest"

"Bastard" muttered Hermione.

"Let it be known that all charges against Mr Malfoy, Mt Crabbe and Mr Goyle are hereby dismissed, and I so order their readmission to Hogwarts soonwith" Holt said. "Case dismissed"

"I hope she still has those tendrils" Draco said as he walked past Harry and Hermione. "It will give me something to hang on to the next time I take her" and Hermione had to hold on to Harry before he hit Malfoy.

"He isn't worth it" she said. The trio just smirked before turning and walking away out of the courtroom.

"They are going to pay for what they did" said Harry.

"I don't know how they are going to affect Ahsoka" Hermione replied. "Seeing them every day in lessons and around the school… It could drive her insane"

"I know" said Harry. "McGonagall has no option but to allow Malfoy to return to Hogwarts. He is going to ridicule Ahsoka the moment he sees her"

"And we can not withdraw from school now" Hermione added, putting the useless documents in her briefcase.

"We're just going to have to take this one step at a time" Harry said. "Perhaps McGonagall will give us one of them private suites or something" he reasoned. "If only to cut down the way Malfoy could get near to Ahsoka" and Hermione nodded.

"We can certainly give it a try. Under the circumstances, I don't think she could refuse…" she said.

"Oh, I'm betting that stuff is already happening to prevent that" said Harry.

#

Ahsoka was let out the following day and the trio returned to Hogwarts. Once inside the castle, they were called to McGonagall's office. They sat in front of the desk with the Headmistress looking at them with concern for Ahsoka's well being.

"Miss Tano, may I say how wonderful it is to see you back here with us. I am sorry I could not do more about Draco Malfoy, but I have my hands tied in that matter by the court order. What I can do is grant your wish to move to a more private set of rooms" she said. "There are some near the Gryffindor tower, and I'll have the house elves move your things there by the time you get there. I know you haven't eaten at all today, so I'll have something sent up from the kitchens as soon as possible" McGonagall said.

"Thank you, Professor" Ahsoka said. "I'm sure it must be difficult for you to do even this for us" and McGonagall nodded.

"Draco Malfoy's father still has a lot of power" she said. "It was only by a narrow margin that his motion to stop Muggleborns from being taught at Hogwarts was defeated. Now then, about your rooms… There will be a password set on the door, but I believe you can reset it to take your wand signatures instead. You may have people visit you, but they must be gone before curfew. As it is Friday, you do not have to attend this afternoon's lessons. You will need the rest of the day and the weekend in order to settle in to your new living place" McGonagall said. She went on to explain a few more things to the three before taking them to their rooms.

#

The set of rooms were spectacular, and the trio were impressed by them a great deal. The door opened into a large sitting room with a number of bookcases and shelves lining the walls. Three armchairs were by the unlit fireplace, and a sofa was between two of the bookcases. A wooden dining table, of the sort one would find in a farmhouse, was by one of the side walls with a half dozen chairs around it. One door held a little store room which they could use for keeping their brooms in. Another door held a downstairs bathroom. To their surprise, they found a little kitchenette at the end of a short annex. A short flight of seven stairs led to the bedrooms and another bathroom on a short landing. The view from all of the windows was amazing, and they could see Hogsmeade and the countryside beyond. From two of the three windows they could see the lake, and they looked at its glistening surface and the trees by the shore. The Quidditch pitch could be seen from the bedrooms. Harry had the one on the left, and the two girls had the one on the right.

"I'll leave you to it then" said McGonagall, and left them alone in the room. True to her word, a house elf came and set out some dinner for them with some drinks.

"I was thinking we might put the books on the shelves this evening" Hermione said as they sat at the table and ate.

"I'd rather just go to sleep, Mione" said Harry. "We've been through a lot the last few days" and Ahsoka backed him up.

"But you were asleep" Hermione protested.

"Yeah… and that is a very tiring job" Ahsoka laughed. They fell into the armchairs and listened to the wireless that Harry had brought from Grimmauld Place.

# # # # #

"What do we do now?" asked Goyle.

"We find a way to kill that freak and the mudblood" Malfoy said. "And we'll do it in a way that looks as if Potter did it" he added. The return of the three had been hailed by most of the Slytherins, but some of them had been disgusted to hear the way that they had slimed out of Azkaban. That small number included Daphne Greengrass, Zabini Blaise and the current First Years. They had decided to listen to everything that the three said and write it all down for future use.

"How can we sneak into the Gryffindor tower, Draco?" asked Crabbe. "We don't know the password"

"We grab Lardbottom and force him to tell us" Malfoy showed them the potion he had been given by his mother. "One way or another…"

# # # # #

"I can't believe how stupid they are" said Daphne. She was with Zabini in the Slytherin common room in the early hours of the morning.

"It does run in the family" Zabini noted dryly.

"If I know Draco as well as I do" Daphne said quietly, "I expect he'll rape Tano and Granger before killing them both"

"I don't understand how Pansy lets that bastard touch her" Zabini said.

"She drinks…" Daphne said. "Oh, you'd never know from looking at her during the day, of course, but I saw a number of empty bottles in her trunk one night" and Zabini raised an eyebrow.

"Now that I didn't know" he said.

"You know the story right?" Daphne asked him as she looked around the common room.

"What story?"

"During the war, the Parkinsons gave nearly all of their fortune to You-Know-Who. They kept a fair bit back for appearances sake, but they gave nearly everything to support his cause. Seems Pansy's father did some business deals that went wrong, and they lost almost everything else"

"So how is she going to Hogw… oh!" Zabini worked it out in his head.

"Exactly" Daphne confirmed his fears. "In order to put his daughter through school, and maintain the illusion of the Parkinsons having a lot of money, her father made a deal with the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy would pay for Pansy's education, and in return she would have sex with him whenever he wished. After they both graduated, Pansy would marry Draco in exchange for a large amount of money to be paid to her family. The worst part is that Pansy has to obey because she is expected to do so as she is from a Pureblood line"

"Have you been given away?" asked Zabini.

"No… I'm a lesbian" Daphne said.

"Do you think we should go and see… you're a lesbian?" Zabini's mind went to all ahead slow.

"And people say I don't have a sense of humour" Daphne muttered. "I have been offered by a couple of people already, and three Goblins and a leprechaun. I'd rather choose my own husband or partner" she said.

"I suppose there is the contract" Zabini asked, and Daphne nodded her head in confirmation. "We better go and see Granger then" he said, and the Slytherins headed to Gryffindor Tower – not knowing that they had changed accommodations.

# # # # #

Ahsoka became tired very easily, and she ended up going to an early bed whilst Hermione put away their books. This was to be expected from the last few effects of the poison. Harry made sure Ahsoka was alright as she went up the steps before he went out for a spot of night time broomstick flying. There was some debate about Harry's Animagus form, and most people presumed that it would be some kind of bird. It was also a bit of practice for the upcoming Quidditch match. He returned to find Hermione gone, but she had left a note saying she'd gone to see friends in Gryffindor tower. After having a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom, Harry sat down to read Swallows and Amazons – a firm favourite of his. Hermione returned that evening with some of her homework completed, and the pair went to happy and deep sleep.

# # # # #

"Do you remember everything I said?" asked Charlie Weasley.

"Of course" said Ginny. "Put the wires into the plate, and put the plate under the seat cushion" she said.

"Make sure that the contact wires are connected securely" her brother Bill said. "We've packed in enough to do the job right, and even cause a bit of an extra punch depending on how many are there" he added.

"Just be careful that you're not in the area when it goes off" said Charlie. Ginny put everything into a secret compartment of her trunk which was impossible to detect unless one knew about it in the first place.

"How will they know it was him and not me?" she asked them.

"We've managed to imprint Potter's magical signature into everything. His finger prints are there as well. We know that it looks very poorly done, but that is the beauty of it" said Charlie.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"When the Aurors examine everything, as they will, it will look as if the explosion has damaged and confused the scans they'll perform" said Bill.

"And they will think that it is real and arrest Harry" Ginny said.

"Just make sure you are nowhere near the explosion, but have enough time to get in the wreckage and make it look as if you have been injured by the blast" Charlie said.

"You'll have to injure yourself for real, but there'll be enough residue in the air which will settle on you" Bill said. Ginny nodded and took hold of her trunk for her return to Hogwarts. This time, Harry Potter was going to get arrested with no possible way out.


	14. Setback Part 2 Explosive Happenings

**Setback Part 2 Explosive Happenings**

**BOOOOOOOOOM**

The explosion had been timed to go off when the most people had been in the common room, and it had shattered the entire room into a mass of broken tables, chairs and students amongst other things. The noise had woken everybody in the castle, but it was sometime before they knew what had happened. Harry had blinked twice, grabbed his wand and ran out into the corridor where he could see the dust and smoke pouring out of the hole that led to the Gryffindor common room. The portrait of the Fat Lady was twenty feet down the corridor and had been ripped to shreds. However, the magical painted woman had been quick enough to escape to a nearby picture of three wizards, a dog and a lawnmower dancing the Highland fling. Hermione and Ahsoka were right behind him as they took stock of the situation. Glimpsing into the swirling dust clouds, they could see that some of the far wall had collapsed – evidenced by the fact daylight could be seen through the other side of the ruined common room. They could hear the cries of the wounded and trapped.

"NO!" Hermione stopped Harry and Ahsoka from performing magic to get rid of the dust. "There might be something else keyed to active magic" she said.

"What is going on?" asked McGonagall.

"I'd say a muggle bomb went off in here" Harry said.

"But nothing muggle works here" McGonagall said. "Nothing that would cause this amount of damage" then grabbed the nearest student and told him to get Pomfrey ready to receive incoming wounded, and have her get some more Healers here at once. "Where are you going?" she saw Harry holster his wand in his pyjama pants.

"Saving people" Harry replied. He helped a couple of the walking dazed through the enlarged portrait hole before stepping in himself. The whole tower creaked loudly, and Harry could feel it move ever so slightly outwards. He managed to free a couple of the wounded trapped under some of the debris, and they got out as volunteers stepped in to help save the rest.

"Give us a hand" Dean said to Harry. He looked round to see the other Gryffindor straining to lift a ceiling beam off from a trapped third year. They managed to lift it up enough for Seamus to drag the girl out and carried her towards the hole. Nearly all of the school elves had turned up to whisk the more badly wounded to the Hospital Wing. The search went on, and Harry dragged out a dusty and cut Ginny Wesley and sent her on her way. He tripped over a still form, and he bent down and felt the boy's neck for a pulse. There was a very weak one, but it was steady. The three boys lifted the beam whilst another person picked them up and rushed them out.

"Haven't found anybody dead yet" Neville said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Don't jinx us, Nev" Dean said.

"I NEED HELP HERE!" yelled Seamus as he tried to lift a section of the stone wall off Lavender Brown. One of her arms was badly mangled, and her right leg was almost unrecognisable. Her clothes had been torn off, and Harry and Seamus took off their pyjama jackets and placed them on top of Lavender as best as they could to cover her modesty. Harry, the other two boys and a trio of Hufflepuffs started throwing the stones off Lavender and they managed to get her free. Blood oozed from multiple points on her body, and there seemed to be no way they could move her without holding on to her arms and legs.

"Here…" Neville picked up the torn Gryffindor house banner.

"Good thinking, Neville" Harry praised the boy for his quick thinking. As gently as they could, they lifted Lavender onto the banner which was carried by the Hufflepuffs and Neville out of the ruined common room.

URGNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

"That does not sound good" Seamus grimaced.

"Are we clear?" asked Harry. He looked around the wreckage and couldn't spot any more trapped pupils.

"We better get out of here" Dean said, and the three were just turning to get out of the debris when Harry heard a shrill girl's voice very faintly.

"_HELP US_!" it cried.

"Oh, Merlin…" Harry paled. In the rush to get everybody out, they had not checked the dorms. The boys had all made their way out, some needing the help of others, and they had made the mistake of assuming the same with the girls.

"How the hell are we going to get them out?" asked Seamus.

"You want us to help?" Hermione called from the portrait hole.

"No…" Harry called back. "This is already going to collapase. Any more people might make it too heavy for it to supp-" he was cut off by the tower shifting outwards and dropping a good and solid two foot. Seamus gingerly put his foot on the intact bottom step for the girls' dorms and was mildly surprised to not hear the protection charms go off.

"Must be all the damage" Harry said, and they went up to the first dorm which was the current 7th year. The explosion had come up the winding staircase and pushed it off its hinges.

"Can you hear me?" Dean called through the crack between the doorframe and the door itself. The occupants replied that they could, and together managed to throw the door to the floor.

"What the hell happened?" asked Romilda Vane. "All we heard was a loud bang, the room shook and the screams…" she trailed off and fell silent.

"We'll explain later" Harry said. "Just get the fuck out of here" and the girls took the point and hurried to safety.

"Lets keep going" Seamus said as the tower gave another long, loud and fearful creak. They managed to free most of the dorms, but encountered problems with the top most dorm – occupied by the current 1st years. The door had remained intact, but the little working magic had assumed a direct assault on the school and sealed the door magically. When the tower had dropped, the magic had filtered out, but the door was still locked.

"_Help us…_" came the scared voices from the other side. The tower replied with a sickening groan and rumble as it began to slowly edge outwards and towards the ground. It was now about 45 degrees from the normal position, and the boys looked at each other.

"There isn't anything we can do for them…" Seamus said.

"I have to agree" Dean said, glancing at the steep angle he was at compared to the walls.

"_Please don't leave us…_" came the cries from the other side of the door.

"Just need to get the door open" Harry said, and started hitting it with his shoulder. It was nearly a minute before the combined assault smashed the door off the hinges and all three fell to the floor.

"Move, move, move…!" Seamus shouted. Four of the girls stood on the backs of the boys in their haste to vacate the doomed tower.

"Time to abandon ship" Dean said, and he and Seamus helped Harry up from the splinted floor. He was about to follow the others out when he spotted the last girl huddled up in a corner and shaking from shock and terror.

"Time to go" said Harry, but the girl just ignored Harry and rocked from side to side hugging herself.

"Leave her" Dean said. He was not being heartless, but knew that Gryffindor tower was going to collapse to the ground at any moment.

"She's frightened" Harry said.

"Yeah? Well I've got news for you, Harry…" said Seamus. "SO AM I!" but despite the pleas from the three, the girl couldn't move – frozen from the terror, shock and sheer confusion of what was happening.

"We need to go now!" said Dean. He looked at the intact window which was giving him a view of the green grass of the grounds around the castle – but not at the normal angle.

"Do what you have to…" Harry said, moving to the girl's side.

"But…"

"If she stays, then I'm staying" Harry said firmly.

"Good luck, Harry" Seamus said, then he and Dean left the room and hurried to leave the crumbling tower.

"So, um… what is your name?" Harry asked the girl. She looked at him and had opened her mouth to reply when the tower broke free of the remaining bonds and collapsed to the ground.

# # # # #

"Damn this" Ahsoka said, "I'm going in" but at that moment more people started coming through the hole. She and Hermione helped them through and pushed them towards the waiting Healers. They waited until two more shadowy figures pushed over the debris and came staggering out of the hole with exhaustion.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Trying to get another girl out, but she's frozen in terror" Dean said.

"I've never seen him so determined in all the time I've known him" said Seamus. "He refused to leave without her. I'm going to go to the broomshed and see if we can get them out through the wind-" he was cut off by an almighty and terrible rumble that shook some people off their feet. There was a roar as the tower finally succumbed to the damage and snapped off from the main part of the castle. Time seemed to slow down as they watched the ruined common room disappear in a blanket of thick smoke and dust. They could see sunlight through the dust as the remains of the tower hit the ground with a second tremor and a noise that was sure to wake the dead.

"HARRY!" Hermione and Ahsoka screamed at the same time. They made to run in and try to save him, but were held back by Seamus, Neville, Dean and Parvati. Everybody stood in silence as it cleared to show nothing remaining of the common room except for a little stub of floor jutting out into the air.

"Miss Granger, Miss Tano. I don't…" McGonagall was the first to speak, but she couldn't finish her sentence. Hermione and Ahsoka turned and ran down the corridors and staircases, pushing people out of their way to get to the spot the tower had come to rest. Others followed to look upon the pile of crushed stone, chairs, sofas, tables and more. The very top of the tower had survived to perch dangerously on the top of the pile like an act of defiance to whoever had set off the chain of destruction.

"He can't be gone…" Ahsoka said. "He just can't have gone…"

"What are we going to do without him…?" Hermione asked, and she and Ahsoka stood in front of the silent crowd in disbelief.

"You don't have to see this" McGonagall found her voice. "I think you both better come inside and-" the lone window of the tower's top broke into a thousand pieces as a spell hit it. The silence grew even louder as stone seemingly flung themselves out before a black haired boy came crawling out with a young girl over his back. He scrambled down with her and hobbled over to the stunned mass. He was covered in blood from head to toe – most of it his – and he came to a halt in front of the gaping McGonagall.

"Professor, I am pleased to report that Gryffindor tower has been completely evacuated with no deaths" and with that Harry promptly fainted from blood loss. The girl he had been carrying was completely untouched except for a couple of small cuts, a large bruise and a black eye.

# # # # #

Once the tower had started a terminal fall, Harry had scooped up the girl and jumped in one of the beds and cast as many spells and charms as he could think of in the time he had. His quick thinking had saved both their lives, but the girl couldn't help but think she was both lucky and in trouble for having a nearly naked Harry Potter in her bed. McGonagall had to assure her four times that she was not in trouble because of how they had ended up. It was, after all, an extraordinary situation that had just taken place, and Harry had given up some of his clothing to help a fellow Gryffindor in distress.

With the Hospital Wing so full up, the worst cases were taken by house elf to St Mungos for treatment. Hermione and Ahsoka flat out refused to allow this for Harry, and so he remained in the care of an overworked Madam Pomfrey. The DMLE were alerted to the attack, as well as Muggle relations. It had already been established by some of the Gryffindors that the explosion was the result of no spell or timed charm. Neither was it the result of a potion. That left a muggle type of explosive, and the DMLE investigation team poured over the rubble for any clues.

"So what are we going to do with you, Mr Potter?" asked Hermione.

"Anything you want" Harry said. "However, I would like very much to have my breakfast first" he added.

"Pomfrey said you could leave as soon as you felt well enough" Ahsoka said, throwing him some jeans and a t shirt. He put them on and slid into his slippers before being helped to his feet by his girlfriends.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked them.

"Aurors are picking over the rubble" Hermione said, "But all they know for sure is that there was an explosion of a muggle bomb" and she shook her head at the terrible sights, sounds and smells she had been subjected to.

"Who would want to destroy Gryffindor tower using muggle methods?" Harry asked. He sat at the nearly deserted Gryffindor table and helped himself to a cup of tea. "If you wanted to blow it up, then just hit it with some highly powered blasting hexes. It doesn't make sense"

"And, so far, nobody was killed" Ahsoka put in.

"Speaking of which, what happened to Lavender? She was pretty messed up" Harry asked Hermione.

"She lost almost all of her blood" Hermione said. "It was only because of Dobby's quick thinking that she was saved. He shoved enough blood replenishers down her throat to save an army. She has internal organ damage, head injuries, spinal injuries, leg injuries… Suffice to say, she is lucky to be alive. Pomfrey said that she might lose her right leg unless the Healers at St Mungos can do an outstanding job" and Harry made a note to ask about visiting her once she was well enough.

"There is talk of you getting an Order of Merlin 1st Class" Ahsoka said.

"What for?" Harry frowned as he started picking at some toast.

"Refusing to leave that girl behind just before it collapsed" Hermione said. "Dean, Seamus, Neville and a couple of others are going up for 2nd Class awards"

"Ah, well… I'm sure that cooler heads will judge otherwise" Harry waved a bit of toast at his wives-to-be.

"McGonagall is getting some of the old classrooms sorted out with bunks and things to use as sleeping areas" Ahsoka said. "A lot of people lost nearly everything in that explosion" she added. Harry ate whilst he thought about what had happened in his mind, only to be disturbed by five Aurors walking in with Madam Bones behind them. They came up to the trio and pointed their wands at Harry.

"Harry James Potter, you will hand over your wand at once" Madam Bones said. "You are under arrest"

"On what charge?" asked Hermione.

"Amongst other things, Attempted Murder" Bones said. "We'll not put the cuffs on you if you come quietly. You have the right to remain silent" and Harry finished the last of his toast, wiped his mouth and stood up to face the witch – the wands tracking him as he went.

"Madam Bones, Ma'am" he said, "I choose to waive that right" and Harry let out a blood curdling scream. Some of the students laughed at a typical Harry Potter reaction.

"You will hand over your wand, and come with us to Azkaban where you will await formal charges and trial" Bones said.

"Not very likely" Hermione said, putting herself between Harry and the Aurors. "Harry saved dozens of people from certain death, and he nearly died himself to save a young girl's life"

"We have discovered that he was the one that placed the bomb" Madam Bones said. "Mr Potter's magical signature was over the recovered bomb fragments. Therefore, it is he who placed the bomb in Gryffindor Tower. He was missing from Gryffindor last night, and can not be accounted for"

"That is because Harry was not in Gryffindor Tower last night" Ahsoka said, standing next to Hermione and allowing her wand to be on display.

"Oh" Bones said, "So you do admit that Harry was not there then? With his magical imprint there and no alibi…"

"I can vouch for where Harry was last night" said Hermione.

"Where?" asked one of the Aurors.

"Well, whilst I can certainly tell you where he was, I am afraid that to tell you would involve me using some rather abnormal language. As that would involve me spending a night in the cells at the Ministry, I am afraid that I can not answer your question" the bushy haired girl said.

"Score one for Granger!" somebody shouted.

"Miss Granger, I assure you that you may say whatever you wish if it is to give Mr Potter an alibi for last night" Bones said.

"Well, seeing as I can tell the truth, so far as I know it to be truthfully the truth, I will tell you. Last night, Harry went on a night broomstick ride around the grounds to clear his head. Then he came back and went to his bed. Soon after that, he plunged his enormous cock into my mouth so I could give him oral sex. Whilst I was doing this, Harry was rubbing my soaking, dripping pussy with his rough hands to the point of orgasm" Hermione said dead pan and with a straight face.

"Is this true?"

"Oh yes" Harry replied, "Though I have never thought of my penis as overly large. I have some very nice pictures of last night if you want to have a look at them afterwards…" and the few students there burst into laughter.

"Mr Potter, you will come with us. Your magical signature is all the proof that we need…" Bones said.

"I don't think so" Harry said.

"And I don't think so either" McGonagall came storming in a fury. All the Muggleborns, most of the Half Bloods and some of the Purebloods were instantly reminded of Robocop. "What gives you the right to burst into the hall and arrest Harry Potter?" the Headmistress asked.

"Mr Potter is the prime suspect. He has been identified by both his magical signature and by an eye witness who saw him plant the bomb. I have my orders to take him into custody for interrogation" Bones said.

"There is one way to prove Harry's innocence – even if he has taken mine…" said Hermione, and she called for Dobby. "Dobby, would you mind getting a blank portrait frame and asking the Fat Lady to step into it? She could be very useful" and the elf shot an evil glance at the Aurors and Bones before carrying out the task.

"You wish to speak to me?" asked the painted lady.

"Harry has been accused of planting the bomb that destroyed Gryffindor Tower. As you guard the entrance, you will know who entered last night. Did you see Harry go in after it got dark?" Hermione asked.

"No" the Fat Lady said, "But that does not discount the possibility he was using an invisibility cloak"

"Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak?" Madam Bones asked in disbelief.

"I don't know when he is using it of course" the painting added. "That is why it is called such an object"

"Madam Bones, I am afraid that you have overstayed your welcome in this hall, and in this school" McGonagall said.

"You leave me with no choice" Bones replied. "Aurors!" and with that command, the Aurors produced bright light which blinded everybody. People moved about while unable to see, and when they could, found that Harry was missing – along with the Aurors.

"Harry's been taken!" Hermione screamed.

# # # # #

Every legal option was closed to them, and nobody could see Harry without making an appointment. They could not make an appointment without the permission of his legal guardian, and that identity was classified and kept secret. Harry was shoved into a cell where he woke up from the stunner he had been given. He took stock of what had happened to him, where he was and started work on a plan. Hours passed, and a couple of the Aurors came to beat and kick him. As nothing was said by anybody that saw him, he had to assume that this was authorised by a high figure.

"It'll be the veil for you, Potter…" said one Auror as he left. Harry crawled to the wooden boards that served as a bed and rolled onto it – coughing up blood and spitting out a tooth as he did so. He was sure that he had cracked a rib or two during the beatings. As the hours passed, he was punched in the stomach and force fed _Veritaserum_ and questioned. Whoever was asking the questions didn't seem to believe him, and he was given ever increasing doses and questioned some more. It got to the point where Harry was unable to stave it off, and he was sick all over himself. Nobody cleaned the vomit off him, and he wasn't given anything to eat or drink.

# # # # #

"I have just found out that someone is being kept in the lowest cells of the Ministry" McGonagall said. "My source did not say if it was Mr Potter or not, but it is very likely. Aurors are doing all kinds of torture on the person, and a suspension of good treatment has been served on the prisoner" and Ahsoka and Hermione grew red with rage and stormed out of the Great Hall. There was silence from those sitting around, and it was broken by Neville getting to his feet.

"What are we going to do about it?" he asked.

"I can do nothing about it" McGonagall said. "And I order you to remain here and not do anything foolish" she added.

"Professor" Seamus got to his feet. "I believe I speak for all of Gryffindor when I say 'to hell with our orders'. Ma'am…" he inclined his head at the witch before turning to walk after Ahsoka and Hermione. "On the other hand…" he said at the doors, "You might want to get here, Professor…" and McGonagall came running to where Harry was laying on the floor in the arms of both of his girls.

"Merlin…" breathed the witch. "Take him to Madam Pomfrey at once" she ordered.

# # # # #

"Miss Granger, Miss Tano. I would advise that you file criminal proceedings against the DMLE at once" Pomfrey said. "If you had not got Mr Potter out when you did, he would have been dead from poisoning via potions. I have healed his ribs, repaired his broken jaw, and started re-growth of his teeth. I have documented everything quite clearly, and also listed what treatments were needed to be given to him at once and in the days ahead" the nurse was disgusted with what had happened to Harry.

"When will he be awake?" asked Ahsoka.

"I have given him enough sleeping draught to take him through the night" Pomfrey replied. "It is best that he be asleep whilst the potions and healing salves take effect"

"At least it is for his own good" Hermione commented. Harry heard the voices on the edge of his awareness, and he battled his p[ain for a few seconds of clear thought and speech.

"Huhmyknee" he mumbled.

"Mr Potter…?" Pomfrey was shocked that he was speaking through all of the potions she had given to him.

"Did it…" Harry said.

"Did what?" asked Hermione.

"Boom" Harry replied, using the least amount of energy possible.

"You know who did it?" Ahsoka asked, and Harry nodded.

"Weasley… Ginny Weasley did it" and then he passed out from the pain.

"It is best that we leave him" Pomfrey said.

"Filius, please arrange a search for Miss Weasley and have her detained" McGonagall ordered.

"Right away, Minerva" said the small wizard.

"I am beginning to realise who signed the suspension orders" McGonagall looked at the now peaceful form of Harry – resting as he was finally being taken care of. "Albus has done this – I'm _certain_ of it. If he couldn't get the Potter fortune himself, then he would have tried other ways. I have seen this happen before during the war" the witch said.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"I was listed as one of those supposed to look after Mr Potter in the event of his parents being killed before he was of age. The night of their deaths, Albus came forwards and produced a will that he claimed was an up to date version of Lily and James' wills. At the time, we never suspected anything out of the ordinary because we knew how close he was to them both. A couple of months later, Hogwarts need a lot of building work done to it, and Albus came up with the money out of the blue. When I asked him about it, he said that the Potters had set aside money in their wills to help the school should it need it" McGonagall looked completely ashamed of herself and looked at the floor before gazing at Hermione and Ahsoka. "I have failed to protect Mr Potter more then once. Filius and the board will have my resignation by the end of the week" and the Headmistress turned on her heel and walked out.

"Should we say something?" asked Ahsoka.

"Give her until the morning" Hermione replied. "If she isn't able to change her mind, could you do something…?" she asked.

"Maybe" said Ahsoka. "Right now, we have to find out why Ginny Weasley planted that bomb" and both girls kissed Harry on the cheeks before going back to their rooms.

# # # # #

"Here's to a shit end to an otherwise great life" McGonagall toasted herself. She was steadily ploughing her way through the second bottle of whiskey of the night. In the morning, she would call a meeting of the governors and the entire staff to inform them of her decision. The rest of the week would be spent putting everything into order before she left teaching and took retirement.

# # # # #

As nothing could be arranged at such short notice, the remaining Gryffindors spent the night in the extended classroom that had been provided for Firenze the previous year. A search of the school had shown Ginny to have seemingly vanished. She was actually in the top most turret of the school looking out into the starry sky. Her brothers had told her that the bomb would just make a big bang and do a bit of hurt to some people. She had not even dreamed of the effects it would have, and she had seen Lavender being carried out of the ruined common room. She had been brought up to believe that she would be Harry Potter's wife, and that it was her duty to help that dream come true. As she thought about it more, the headaches started coming on much more worst then it had ever been before.

"Pomfrey…" she whispered. "Must get to Pomfrey" and she went for the door. She weaved from one side of the corridor to the other as if she was drunk to the Hospital Wing. "Must get to Pomfrey…"

"It's her!" a couple of students on the way back from a late night Potion ingredients gathering exercise saw Ginny lumbering towards them.

"She's been drinking" said one of them. They took out their wands as Ginny stumbled up and dropped to her knees.

"Don't smell it…" said another.

"Help me…" Ginny grabbed the sides of one's robes with fists.

"Oh, but of course…" said the third of the group. "I'll help you get to Azkaban alright"

"Please…" Ginny was finding it hard to speak and breathe at the same time. "There…is…a…hole…in…my…head…" and her eyes rolled upwards and she slumped to the floor.

"Get Pomfrey here quickly" said the second of the group.

"More like the Aurors" said the first.

"I don't think she knew what she was doing…" the second person dropped to the floor and felt for a pulse on Ginny's neck. She was a Pureblood that had been fascinated by muggles and their ways of entertainment. Her father had indulged his daughter by buying a muggle Television set and she would watch a lot of muggle television programmes before she started Hogwarts. She kept it up during holidays and such. One of her favourites had been Babylon 5, and it had been this that had triggered a memory of something.

"I'll get the Aurors…"

"GET POMFREY NOW, YOU FUCKING ARSE!" the girl swore. What Ginny had said before passing out had reminded her of the pilot episode where an assassin had said to the lead character something about a couple of missing memories.

"What do you want me to do?" asked the third person.

"Help me with her" the girl said. "I don't think that she's going to be getting to the Hospital Wing under her own power.

# # # # #

"I assume you have a good reason for rushing in here?" Pomfrey asked the boy as he skidded into the Hospital Wing.

"Ginny Weasley has been found down the Charms corridor. She acted like she was drunk, said there was a hole in her mind and then rolled her eyes and fell to the floor"

"That'll do…"

# # # # #

"Come on…" the Pureblood said in a plea.

"Is she going to be alright?" asked the other person.

"I honestly don't know" said the girl. "She has a very weak pulse, you can see her lips are going blue from some kind of coldness and I don't think she is getting enough oxygen in her blood" she added as running footsteps came up the corridor behind them.

"Tell me everything…" Pomfrey said.

"We were just coming back from gathering Potion ingredients that need to be picked at a certain time of the night. Just as we turned the corridor, we saw her coming towards us like she had been drinking heavily. We were going to tie her up when she started talking very funnily, and then she collapsed after saying there was a hole in her head" the girl said. "I remember something I learnt from the muggles about possible mind control and blanking out of memories. I think she has been cursed somehow"

"Let me see" Pomfrey said, and took out her wand. She was stopped by the girl saying that McGonagall had ordered no wand magic to be used in order for the castle's wards to settle down.

"I could get some brooms, tie them together and we could float her to the Hospital Wing" suggested the girl.

"I doubt if she could get there in time" Pomfrey said.

"I'll take her" Harry said, and they all turned round to see him standing a little unsteadily on his feet.

"Mr Potter!" Pomfrey said. "You should be in bed"

"I couldn't sleep" Harry said quietly. "You need to get her to the Hospital Wing, you can not use magic so I shall carry her" and he pushed past them and picked up Ginny in his arms and carried her off.

"That boy is going to give me a heart attack one day" Pomfrey shook her head. The strain of being up was showing as pain flashed over Harry's face, he steps were uneven and beads of sweat ran down his back. As Pomfrey got closer, she could see some of the wounds reopening. The medi-witch knew that Harry would have to be dead to stop helping people – even if it hurt himself doing so. She had never seen anybody take so much punishment and keep on going. The amount of potions she had given him had been enough to keep him asleep during the entire night. The fact that he was awake and quite aware of things suggested that she needed to stock more powerful potions.

# # # # #

"Sithspawn!" Ahsoka said. Hermione shook her awake by the shoulders, and the Togrutan blinked several times before collecting herself.

"Harry's awake" Hermione said.

"But I thought Madam Pomfrey said he would be asleep until the morning" Ahsoka said, getting out of bed and grabbing a robe.

"But she forgot to include the fact Harry doesn't always go by the rules" Hermione smiled as Ahsoka stepped into the shower. "Better yet, they have found Ginny Weasley – but in an odd way"

"What do you mean?" asked Ahsoka from the shower.

"According to Pomfrey, a couple of students found her acting odd. One of them realised she was acting like Harry had said Crouch had been after coming round from the _Imperio_" Hermione told Ahsoka everything she knew.

"Damned towels" Ahsoka growled as she tried to dry herself off.

"Let me" and Hermione gave a flick of her hand to dry the other completely.

"How is Ginny?"

"According to what I have heard, not that good. Pomfrey is trying to stabilise her in order to move her to St Mungos" Hermione replied as they went downstairs and out of the suite. "They are bringing up a mind reader as we speak" she added.

# # # # #

The specialist from St Mungos had been in Ginny's mind for several hours, and Pomfrey arranged for one of the house elves to transport Ginny and the specialist back to the magical hospital.

"I have got all that I need" said the specialist healer.

"What? You have?" Pomfrey looked up from her textbooks in surprise.

"Miss Weasley has been the subject of the most powerful of all mind controls I have ever seen. The only three people I can think capable of doing it are Mr Potter, Albus Dumbledore and You-Know-Who. We can rule out Mr Potter and You-Know-Who. That leaves only The-Git-Who-Has-A-Long-Beard"

"And this time we're going to nail his arse to my office door" said Madam Bones. She had gone apocalyptic over what had happened to Harry, and had sworn an oath to help him in whatever way she could. An entire company of Aurors now lay guard around the Hospital Wing, and on the doors inside. Nobody was taking any chances of someone getting to Ginny and killing her – ending the trail cold.

"Have you spoken to all of his close friends?" asked Harry. He had slept after getting Ginny to the Hospital Wing, and he was now more healed then he had been the previous night.

"Last person to see him was the Wizendgamot records clerk three days ago" Bones said. "Now we have nothing but a single sighting of Dumbledore meeting with William and Charlie Weasley in Diagon Alley. Our witness would not have thought it out of the ordinary, except for the fact that one of the boxes he handed over was marked 'Detonator' which caused him concern. He is a Muggleborn wizard, so he knew more then the average Witch or Wizard about things that can explode"

"Well you have to find him" Harry said to Bones.

"Me? Why the DMLE?" she asked.

"Didn't you know?" Harry's burning eyes seared into Bone's very being. "I'm a criminal…"


	15. Recovering and Discovering

**Recovering and Discovering**

"Professor?" Harry put his head round McGonagall's open door.

"Is there something I can do for you?" asked the Headmistress. Harry walked in and stood in front of her desk

"I'd like permission to leave the castle during the weekend" Harry said.

"Under the circumstances, Mr Potter…" McGonagall said, but Harry waved her off.

"I'm only going to St Mungos" he told her. "Most of the year want to go as well"

"I am sorry, Mr Potter. With eve- Ah! You wish to see Miss Brown" McGonagall said, and Harry nodded.

"She's got nobody" Harry said to her. "She was with a family before, but it didn't work out that much"

"But I thought she had a family…" McGonagall said with confusion.

"She did, but her family left her in a care home. She spends the summer months living with Parvati and Padma, but she has no family to be with. Professor, I know what it is like to have no family. I know what it is like to be all alone and in great pain" Harry said.

"I suppose it would be alright" McGonagall thought about it carefully. "You and both of the Patil sisters. Maybe Miss Granger and Miss Tano could visit at the weekend" she added.

"Thanks, Professor" Harry left to give the twins the good news.

#

"Lavender?" Harry said. "We've come to visit"

"What are you doing out of lessons?" asked the girl, struggling to sit up in the bed.

"I wanted to come and see how you were doing, and McGonagall said it was alright for the twins to come. She wouldn't let Hermione or Ahsoka go – but they'll see you at the weekend" Harry said.

"That'll be nice" said Lavender.

"How do you feel?" asked Parvati.

"In a lot of pain" Lavender replied, "But its getting less and less painful. I've just had some more pain relief, so I'm good for a couple of hours"

"We got you a load of stuff" Padma said, putting a bag on the end of the bed. "There's clothes, toiletries and other stuff in there"

"What are they going to do about your leg?" asked Harry.

"They want to cut it off" Lavender replied.

"What for?" gasped Parvati.

"They said it would be better for them"

"For them?" Harry's eye narrowed.

"They are making decisions that are not what I want" Lavender said. "Any big decisions have to be made by my parents. As they don't want me, the Healers have said that they know best, and are cutting my leg off in two days time"

"Hang on" Harry went to the door and stuck his head out. "OI!" he called, "Anybody cutting Lavender Brown's leg off will get to see my angry side" and he closed the door. "That'll teach them" he said with a smile that made Lavender giggle. "If you want, Lav, I could put you under the protection of my House. That means they wouldn't be able to do anything to you unless I agreed"

"You'd do that for me? What do I have to do?" Lavender asked Harry.

"A number of things spring to mind" Harry winked at her, "But we'll work out a repayment later. Pity you can not walk at the moment" he said.

"I can do a short distance for tiny moment" Lavender said.

"Ah…" Harry remained silent as the twins talked to Lavender. As the friends talked, Harry started coming up with a plan of his own for Lavender's recovery.

"I could do with a shower" the injured girl said.

"Yes" Harry said, "You could" and then left while the twins helped Lavender. He took the time to make a quick side trip to Diagon Alley and see if Griphook was free. He was, as it turned out, and Harry took out some forms for Lavender to sign when he got back to the still chattering girls.

"What are these?" asked Lavender.

"Basically they are forms to say you are under my protection" Harry said. "I know you live with the twins here, but the Wizengamot doesn't accept that for authority to do or not do things like give consent. Because I am the Head of my family, I can place you under my protection - meaning they're not going to chop off the leg"

"Thank you, Harry" Lavender said - tears forming in her eyes. "I'll pay you back somehow"

"It can wait until you are better" Harry winked at her again before pulling out a small chess set. "Fancy a game?"

#

"How is she?" asked Hermione once she saw Harry.

"Feeling a little sorry for herself, but she'll get better as time goes on" He said. "The Healers want to cur her leg off from the hip"

"That is horrible" said Ahsoka.

"I've stopped them for doing that" Harry told them, "And I have put Lav under the protection of my House. She's looking forward to the rest of our year coming to visit her" and both girls smiled. "So what is the latest with the investigation?" Harry asked.

"The DMLE have given it up" Hermione said. "There isn't much that they can do without knowing where Dumbledore is. McGonagall said that magical builders are going to repair the tower soon. It's going to take a week, but because of something to do with the damaged magic levels around there, we're all getting an extra week off on the holiday"

"Woo Hoo!" Ahsoka said.

"That means we can all go and see Lavender in strength" Harry rubbed his chin. "Lets go in search of a good cup of tea" and he led the way.

#

"Minister, I am suspending the search for Dumbledore" Madam Bones said.

"What for?" asked Fudge.

"We can not find him in any of his known haunts, and that man could hide in any one of a hundred places around the country" Bones said. "We'll keep listening for information, but theres nothing we can do at the moment"

"We need to catch that fool, Amelia" Fudge said. "He forced Ginny Weasley to kill people using a muggle explosive. If it wasn't for sheer dumb luck and the protection enchantments around Gryffindor Tower, we would have been facing a number of deaths. I will talk to the Goblins at Gringotts and see if they will help in our investigation. They value the young as much as we do, and they may be willing to disclose the information if we tell them the truth about what Dumbledore did"

"And if they refuse?"

"I'll set Mr Potter on them" Fudge laughed.

#

The entire 5th Year of Gryffindor turned up to see Lavender in her room, but Harry was told that the Healers planned to override the wishes of both Harry and Lavender herself. Harry demanded to see the Administrator of the place, and one of the Healers offered to show him the way.

"Bring them here" Harry said.

"But the office is two floors up"

"Bring her or I start breaking things" Harry casually withdraw his wand and started muttering under his breath. A small dumpy woman came hurrying down the corridor a few minutes later.

"Mr Potter, I understand you object to our treating of Miss Brown" she said.

"That's right" Harry nodded. "I've been told that you are going over the wishes of both herself and me in removing her leg"

"It was determined that the removal of the leg was better for the Healers" the witch said.

"You're going to do it even though you've been told otherwise?" Harry shook his head as he heard a series of chimes.

"You'll see its better in the future" the Administrator said. "The chances that the leg will regain the same level of operation are very slim. Now, I am going to have to ask you to leave the Hospital. Aurors, see them out the building" and Harry turned to see a squad of Aurors that had come out of the lifts.

"Belay that" Harry said. "St Mungos is going against the wishes of the Noble House of Potter. I order you to stand down"

"We don't take orders from a kid" said one of the Aurors, and the squad moved in with wands out.

"AURORS! STAND TO!" Madam Bones roared as she stepped out of the nearest fireplace. Susan followed shortly afterwards with a knowing and revealing smile on her face. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded.

"That is something we'd like to know" Ahsoka said – idly polishing her lightsaber with the sleeve of her cloak.

"Lavender was told that the Healers wanted to cut off her leg" Hermione said. "She objected to this and requested help. Harry put her under his protection, and the Healers are still going to do so" she added.

"It appears" Harry said, "That your Aurors were attempting to aid and abet an illegal act"

"Oh, really…?" Madam Bones swung to face her Aurors. "Go back to the Ministry" she told them, "And we'll have words upon my return" and the Aurors left the corridor.

"I can not believe that you would condone an act that would have left her leg as useless as male nipples" the Administrator.

"Madam" Harry addressed the witch, "My nipples, as my fiancées will attest, are not useless whatsoever"

"Hang on" Parvati said. "What do you mean by 'would have'?" she demanded.

"Excuse me" Harry said, and blew the door open and grew to new levels of anger. With the Healers not being able to get past the door, they had clearly come in by use of an elf. They had knocked Lavender out with either a stunner or by forcing a potion down her throat. Two Healers had strapped her down whilst another had been cutting deep into the damaged right leg in order to remove it. Before anything could be said or done, Ahsoka Force Threw them to the floor.

"You!" Hermione grabbed a Healer by the collar. "Deal with her or else we will deal with you"

"Madam Bones, as the Head of a Noble Family, I order you to place these three Healers under arrest. Furthermore, I also order you to place the Administrator of this establishment under arrest. I shall require the use of four of your very best Aurors to stand guard on the door to this room until such time as Lavender is fit enough to travel" Harry said. Madam Bones blinked several times before replying.

"I'll see what I can do" she assured him.

"You! Healer!" Parvati snapped.

"Yes?"

"What damage did they do?"

"They cut right down to the bone, but it is nothing that I can not sort out" the Healer said. "It will take a couple of weeks, but the wounds should heal well enough"

"Ahsoka, would please go back to Grimmauld and have Dobby make up rooms for the Patils and one for Lavender, please?" and Ahsoka nodded before heading for a Floo. More Aurors came to place people under arrest, and Madam Bones returned to the Ministry in order to find out who gave permission for the Aurors to interfere.

#

The moment that Lavender was well enough to travel, she was moved to Grimmauld Place to recover from the ordeal. Harry and Hermione had been looking up the various methods to help get legs back into working order, and had come across a method involving water. After checking with the girl, both were surprised that Lavender hadn't even been offered the option – though magical methods of treating injuries seem to have come from the Aztec era sometimes.

"I can't do another lap" Lavender complained as she bobbed up and down in the pool.

"You have to" said Parvati. "One more time to the other side of the pool" she said firmly. Lavender grumbled, flipped herself around and began to walk along the bottom of the pool to where Hermione was waiting.

"That's it!" Lavender declared as she went onto her back. "I can't do any more" and refused to make another crossing. Parvati and Hermione had to swim back with the poor girl in tow behind them. During the three weeks off, the group had done a lot in the treatment of Lavender's leg, and discussions with Madam Pomfrey had assured her that the limp would be gone within a month or two. She still had to take three potions twice a day until then but it was a small price to pay after what had happened to her. After they had showered and changed into dry things, Harry announced that they would be going out for a 'slap up' meal. This caused Ahsoka to ask if people assaulted others with food, and the others had had to explain the saying to her. It was quite late when they got back, and Dobby had been waiting in the kitchen until they had got back.

#

"Almost like the old one" Hermione observed. The whole of Gryffindor had returned to Hogwarts and found the tower completely rebuilt to how it had been – bar a few changes that were in desperate need of being done. One rather small addition was that the suite for Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka had been given a direct door to the Gryffindor common room – allowing them to go in and out much easier and not have to go out, down the corridor and than back in.

"I rather liked it the way it was" said Seamus with a grin.

"With debris scattered around and bodies littering the floor?" Ahsoka asked.

"It was like the last time Neville tried the blasting charm" Seamus told her with a shrug. "Omph!" he said with a pained tone.

"That'll teach you" Neville said, and went to place his trunk by a bed in his dorm.

"I can still see it how it was" Lavender said quietly.

"Me too" Harry said.

"I saw enough to last me a lifetime" Lavender went on. "I can't stop thinking about it every night. About how lucky I was not to die or lose my leg" and a tear went down her cheek as she replayed the entire incident in her mind.

"We got lucky on that one" Hermione said. "If it had not been for Ginny breaking through the spells and enchantments placed on her, we'd not even know that it was Dumbledore that plotted this" and the others nodded.

"I noticed that she didn't get on the train" Ahsoka said. "Is she still being held by the Aurors?" she asked.

"I tried to find out, but nobody is saying much about it" Harry said, opening the door to the suite. "All I know is that Ginny was questioned at some length by the DMLE about everything that she could remember. They are looking for Bill and Charlie Weasley as accessories to Dumbledore's crime, but they can't find either of them"

"Wouldn't they have both left the country?" Hermione said. "They both have jobs that take them out of the UK" she pointed out.

"Charlie is on one of his rest periods" Harry said. "As for Bill…" he shrugged. "Last thing known about him was that he was heading to Egypt for Curse Breaking duties. The DMLE have asked the Egyptian Ministry to look and arrest him, but who knows where he might be"

"Have they checked the Weasley residence?" Ahsoka asked.

"From top to bottom" nodded Harry. "Not a trace of either of them"

"Could they be with Dumbledore?" Hermione wondered.

"Maybe" said Harry, "Or they could be victims of Dumbledore's work"

"I wish we knew where he was" Ahsoka said. "I'd like to have five minutes alone with that bastard"

"Get in line" Harry chuckled. "He has not left the country via the normal methods he would, although he could have flown over the Channel"

"Madam Bones has said that the Muggles have not spotted him leaving either. They've searched the Hog's Head but not found any secret or unplotable parts to the pub" Hermione sighed as she poured a drink out for the three of them.

"Have they searched his own home?" Ahsoka said as she sipped her juice.

"He doesn't have one" said Hermione.

"He lived here the entire year?" Ahsoka looked at her in disbelief.

"So it would seem"

"Maybe not" said Harry. "I've got letters from him that were a lot quicker than if he was at the school. Isn't there a way to find out where he used to live before he became Headmaster?" Harry asked.

"We can check in the library tomorrow" said Hermione – a plan forming in her mind. "I'm sure there is a list detailing all of the Old, Ancient and Ancient and Most Noble family houses. The Dumbledore family is a well known family, and I remember from History of Magic lessons that the family is at least an Old name. If he does indeed live in a place other than Hogwarts it would be listed" and Harry just smiled as he had a mouthful of his drink.

#

"Good Afternoon, Miss Granger, Miss Tano, Mr Potter" Madam Pince said, looking up from an inventory she was making. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

"Good Afternoon" Hermione said pleasantly. "Can you tell us if you have a copy of Great Magical Families?" and Pince looked it up in the inventory list and nodded.

"Thought so…" she looked up at the threesome. "I am afraid the only copy I had was stolen some months ago. Were you in great need of it?" the woman asked.

"Somewhat" said Harry.

"Could we order a copy?" Hermione asked her.

"Order a copy?" Pince frowned. "I am afraid that the book is out of print, and it has been so for a hundred years. It is updated at that time to take into account families going extinct, new families added and so on and so on"

"Where could we find another copy?" asked Ahsoka.

"You could try Diagon Alley" Pince said, "But I doubt you find a copy there at all"

"Why?" Ahsoka asked her.

"The book was written for places of education only" Pince said. "Although, you might try the Ministry. They have a copy of every book ever written in the Records Department. You must make an appointment to gain access first, but I am sure that it will not be hard to do" and the trio nodded, thanked her and left the library to go to their next lessons.

"Was she lying?" Hermione asked Ahsoka.

"No" she shook her head. "I could sense she was telling the truth about the book being stolen. We shall have to make an appointment to visit the Records Department" the girl added.

"Lets hope they have a copy of that book" Hermione said.

"You think Dumbledore took the book from the library?" Harry asked her.

"I don't think that it is outside the realm of possibilities" she replied. "He would have had enough chance to take it from the Ministry before he started getting revenge on us" and the other two had to agree.

"Susan's Aunt is the head of the DMLE - she might know if there is one there or not" Harry said.

"We'll ask her during Herbology" Hermione agreed.

#

"Hannah said you wanted to talk to me" Susan slid up to the trio during Herbology.

"We need a bit of help from you" said Ahsoka. "We are in search of a book that contains the homes of all the old magical families on your planet. Albus Dumbledore appears to have taken the Hogwarts copy when he was dismissed as Headmaster. We have been told that a copy is in the Ministry's Records Department. Have you ever seen a book such as this in there?" she asked. Susan frowned and thought hard for several moments as she searched her mind for answers.

"Would it be a heavy book?" she asked. "Red covered, gold trimming and leather?" and the trio nodded. "It was in there the last time I visited" the Hufflepuff confirmed.

"When was this?" Hermione asked.

"A couple of months ago" Susan said. "I used to love reading it as a little girl. All those pictures of the manors used to make me feel like a princess" she added with a sigh.

"We'll need to make an appointment to see the book" said Hermione.

"Couldn't you just look whatever it is up in Harry's copy?" Susan asked the trio.

"I don't have a copy" said Harry. "Only educational places get that, and the one from here was nicked by Dumb as a Door"

"All of the families get a copy of the book" said Susan. "You should know that, Harry"

"Actually, Susan, I didn't know that at all" Harry said. "Any copy that my parents owned would have been destroyed after Voldemort killed them and attacked me"

"Would a copy be sent to a family if the head of that family was on the run?" asked Hermione.

"Yes" said Susan. "But if you need to find out something, I could always Owl my Aunt and have her look it up for you"

"Thats kind of you" said Ahsoka.

"But not needed" replied Hermione. "If a book was sent out in the last couple of years, then it would be in the library at Grimmauld Place"

"Sirius Black would have got one very easily" Susan confirmed.

"When would he have got one?" asked Hermione. "His place as Head of the Black Family was never confirmed due to his being in prison and escape"

"An event that you had something to do with" Susan replied.

"If his position was never confirmed, then what would happen to it?" Harry asked.

"The book or the position?" Susan asked him.

"Both"

"Well the book would be taken away by the Ministry until such time as a new Head was decreed" Susan explained. "The position would go to a close family member until such time as a Black was of age" she added.

"How would we find that out?" asked Ahsoka.

"You could check the rolls at the Ministry Records Department. They would have all the details including the reason it was taken away from Sirius Black" Susan noted the dark look on Harry's face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"He never got a trial, Susan" said Hermione.

"No he bloody didn't" Harry said. "They thought he betrayed the location my parents lived in to Voldemort. After that, he went and killed Peter Pettigrew for choosing the light side"

"Sounds like he deserved to go to jail" Susan commented. Harry blinked once and then went for his wand. It was only Hermione stepping in front of him that stopped Susan from being cursed rather badly.

"She doesn't know, Harry"

"What do I not know?" Susan watched as Harry replaced his wand.

"Sirius Black was never given a trial for any of his crimes" he said. "And in reality, he was innocent of everything. Everybody assumed that he was the Secret Keeper, but it was Pettigrew in actual fact. He betrayed my parents and told Voldemort of the address. When Sirius found out he went for Pettigrew, but the bastard ran away and hid for years. He as the Weasley's pet rat - Scabbers. After he escaped from Azkaban, he lived at Grimmauld Place with me - and Hermone after a while. but he died without the grace of even his name being cleared"

"Harry, what you're saying goes against the law" Susan said. "I'll talk to my Aunt about it if you want"

"Thanks, Susan" Harry replied.

#

"If you don't have an appointment then you can not see the Director"

"You tell her that i want to see her now, or I'll curse you somewhat horrid"

"I would do what she says" Madam Bones said from the door to her office. Susan smirked at the witch out front and walked into her Aunt's office. "I assume that you have some good reason for leaving Hogwarts?" she said.

"Harry told me something that I think you should know about" Susan said. "According to him, Sirius Black never got a trial when he was put into Azkaban"

"That can not be right" Madam Bones shook her head. "Everybody got a trial when we captured the Death Eaters. It may not have seemed like it, but Sirius Black got a fair trial"

"In that case, Harry has asked me to bring him the transcripts" Susan said.

"I am afraid that I can not hand thm over to him" her Aunt said.

"He asked me, in his capacity as Head of the Potter Family, to find and retrieve them for him in my capacity as Head of the Bones family" Susan said.

"Head?" Amelia chuckled. "You are just a teenager"

"But one that is over you, Aunt" Susan said. "According to the Bones charter, only those born with the name may inherit the leadership. You married into the family and so don't get the title until I am of age - which I am based on the old inheritance laws. So" Susan was enjoying her Aunt squirming, "I command you to find the transcripts and hand them over to me today" and sat back with arms folded.

"It shall be done" Madam Bones said, summoning a couple of Aurors to her office.

#

While all this was going on, Harry was on his stomach getting a back massage from Ahsoka. There was nothing sexual about this, but Harry had only just returned from Quidditch practice and his body was aching because of it. It was going to be the last game of the season, but if Ravenclaw won their game against Hufflepuff, then there would have to be a playoff against the two houses to decide a winner. Hermione had checked the records as far back as she could find, but had told Harry that this had never happened before.

"At least I'll make history for the right reasons" Harry said. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Master Harry Potter?" the elf said as it appeared.

"Could you bring us a plate fo sandwiches, please?" he asked.

"What sort do yous be thinking of?"

"Cheese, ham, beef and chicken" said Harry. "But not altogether" he added - remembering when Dobby had got it wrong and created a sandwich that would have solved the world's hunger probems.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter, Sir" Dobby bowed so low that his nose touched the floor.

"One of these days..." Hermione giggled. When Dobby returned, they sat down and tucked in. As they went through the platter, there was a knock on the door leading from the common room.

"Come in" Ahsoka called, and the door opened and in came Lavender with a smile on her face.

"Someone looks like they are in a cheerful mood" said Harry. "Pull up a chair and join us"

"Thanks" Lavender sat in one of the armchairs and helped herself to a few sandwiches.

"So what are you smiling about?" asked Hermione.

"I just came back from seeing Madam Pomfrey, and she said that my leg is almost healed from the damage that was done to it" the other girl replied.

"Thats awesome news" Harry congratulated her. "Did she say if there would be any problems once it is healed?"

"Only that I'll have a limp for a while yet, but it will sort itself out sooner rather than later" Lavender looked at Harry. "If there is anything that I can do to help you..." she said.

"Just keep being my friend" said Harry.

"I meant in other ways" Lavender said. "According to the law, I am yours to do with as you will"

"Really...?" Harry's eyes lit up as he thought about the possibilities that entailed.

"Harry!" Hermione said. "Your with other people"

"I'm still single"

"Only on a technicality" Hermione said, but her tone was not one of seriousness.

"I wonder how Susan is doing" commented Ahsoka.

"What is she doing?" asked Lavender.

"She was getting some old court papers for Harry to look over" Hermione said.

"I wonder how she is getting on" Harry said.

# # # # #

"What do you mean that they can not be found?" Madam Bones asked the Auror.

"All transcripts concerning Sirius Black have been removed"

"By who?"

"Albus Dumbledore" the Auror said. "He signed them out correctly and said he would bring them back"

"Why did he take them?" asked Susan.

"He said it was for a review of Black's case, and to look into the possibility of overturning his conviction" the Auror said.

"Did he take both sets?" Susan wondered.

"Yes" came the reply. "Both the records from the Records Department and from our own department are missing. He said he wanted to make sure they matched up"

"And you let him waltz in and take them?" Madam Bones asked in amazement.

"Well there was nothing against him at that time, Ma'am"

"Are any of the Aurors who captured Black still on active duty?" asked Susan.

"I would have to check" her Aunt replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we could look into their memories and see what happened back at the time"

"Check that out at once" Bones ordered as she started to think of what to say to Harry. But as she thought of how to inform him, she suddenly remembered she had to inspect the Auror detachment at the Falkland Islands. Now was a very good time to go and have a look...


	16. A Treasure Lost – A Treasure Found

**A Treasure Lost – A Treasure Found**

"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN?" Harry thundered at Madam Bones.

"At the time it happened, Dumbledore was not suspected of anything" the witch said.

"That is untrue" Ahsoka said. "I can tell you are lying. You have long suspected Albus Dumbledore of..." she looked at Harry and Hermione for the right word.

"Dodgy" suplied Harry.

"Thanks" Ahsoka smiled at him before turning back to Bones. "You have long suspected him of dodgy dealings, but you have never acted upon them - why?"

"Everything he did was legal" Madam Bones was feeling like a shark's dinner. "And he was the Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwamp - you couldn't have just walked in and arrested him!" she said.

"Yes you could" Harry retorted. "You can arrest anybody you like for the most minor of offenses. Remember the full trial I got for using magic to defend myself? I dont care what cockup you have made. I want to know what you plan on doing to solve it"

"I have whole squads of Aurors trying to find him, but it is like looking for a needle in a haystack"

"Use Accio" Hermione said dryly.

"We have even tried using that to get him, but it did not work"

"Have you tried using records from the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked.

"It was one theory have investigated already" Bones said. "When the staff looked,his address had been removed from thier records"

"So you've lost him?" Ahsoka asked - polishing her lightsaber in full view.

"For now"

"Maybe not..." Harry suddenly had a thought. "Magical families tend to stay in the same place, right?"

"Right" Hermione nodded.

"Maybe we are looking for the wrong person" Harry continued. "We should look for the names of his family minus Aberforth" he looked at Bones who shifted as if he was going to strike her down with a thunderbolt. "When people die, I assume you make a note of it?" he asked.

"Of course" Bones replied. "It is a small office in the Records Department"

"I remember reading that his mother and sister died just after he graduated from Hogwarts. Perhaps we can find the address that way"

"By looking through the lists of the dead?" Hermione mulled it over. "That might work"

"I would presume that he only went to it once or twice" Bones said. "I remember hearing that he never attended the office when his father died in Azkaban"

"His father was in prison?" Ahsoka asked.

"On what charge?" Hermione was interested.

"Using magic to abuse muggles" Bones said. "It was one of my first jobs after graduating the training program. Albus and Aberforth had a sister called Ariana who never attended Hogwarts"

"She go to some other place?" Ahsoka asked, but Bones simply shook her head.

"Squib?" Hermione was mildly surprised.

"It would seem so" Bones nodded.

"So that is what he has been hiding all those years..." Harry shook his head. "He would not want that to be general knowledge"

"Do you make a list of these people?" asked Ahsoka.

"We do now" Madam Bones said. "It was up to families to register the children - now it is mandetry"

"So she might not be on any kind of list?" Hermione said - more of a question than anything else. "We should find out where this Ariana lives, and see if she can tell us where Dumb-as-a-door is living"

"If I find out anything about her, you will be the first to know" Susan's Aunt stood and used the floo out of the suite.

"I hope we find him soon" said Ahsoka. "He could be plotting another attack as we speak"

"But we can hardly look for him when we dont know where to begin!" Hermione replied. "Are you alright?" she asked as she saw Harry frowning hard.

"Maybe we dont have to wait" said her boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked him.

"Muggles have a book called Who's Who. Mione, does the magical world have something like this as well?" Harry looked at her.

"I think so... Yes! I remember using it to look up some names for the Mermaid Underwear Dispute of 1924" the girl was excited. "But we don't have to leave our suite"

"Oh?"

"I have a copy of Great Wizards of the 20th Century" Hermione explained. "Even though Dumbledore was born in the last one, all of his great achievements were in this one. She ran and got the book, brought it back down and started flicking through the pages. "Oh no..." she groaned. Harry and Ahsoka looked at the section of Dumbledore's entry she was pointing at.

"She died aged 14?" Ahsoka said.

"Under mysterious circumstances" Harry read aloud.

"You don't suppose that he did it...?" Hermione felt a shiver go down his spine.

"We'll find out" Harry said, picking up his wand and grabbing a jacket.

"How?" asked both his girls as they did the same.

"Fancy a drink?" their boyfriend asked.

#

"I don't know nothing!" the barkeeper said.

"You must know about your brother's whereabouts" said Hermione. "We've seen you come up to Hogwarts a number of times. Besides, you know that he was the one that killed your sister – don't you?" but Abberforth shook his head.

"I ain't saying anything at all" he told them.

"He lies" Ahsoka said. She scanned his weakly shielded mind and discovered the truth.

"Ahsoka is simply itching to test her powers out. She hasn't been able been able to use them for a while" Harry looked at Dumbledore's brother. "You can tell us now, or you can tell us after a few hours torture. I really don't care either way" but the younger Dumbledore was adamant.

"I ain't saying a word to you kids. Now clear off or I'll be getting Aurors on to you" he said.

"Oh well…" Hermione sighed. "Looks like we'll be doing this the hard way" she looked at Ahsoka. "Why not show us that choking thing you do? You've always liked that one" and Ahsoka nodded, gathered the force and struck out at Abberforth.

"I'd say a few minutes of this" Ahsoka told her friends, "And he'll be ready to talk" and Harry would have said something if the door had not burst open and Susan came rushing in.

"Whats the matter?" he asked.

"My Aunt has been kidnapped" she panted. "She said she needed to go and check some detachment, stepped into the Floo and was Floonapped by a redirected charmed destination" Susan fell onto one of the bar stools.

"Do they know where?" asked Hermione.

"Not a chance" said Susan, sipping from the Firewhiskey Harry had passed her.

"She's underage, Harry" Hermione reminded him.

"She's had a terrible shock"

"Fair enough"

"Do _you_ know anything about this?" Harry turned on the red faced Abberforth.

"I don't know nothing"

"Ahsoka?" Harry, Hermione and Susan watched as Ahsoka slowly choked the life out of the wizened old man. She stopped before he actually died, and the four stood as he gulped in lung fulls of air before speaking.

"Albus always had that other vault of his" he wheezed. "Kept secret stuff in there. I only went there once, but I remember all the details, I do" and the four sat on barstools with wands drawn.

"Talk" Susan ordered him.

"A couple of years ago, Albus had some trunks he wanted shifting to Gringotts. He had to carry them by hand because of the protections in place inside the things"

"What was in them?" asked Hermione.

"Lots and lots of old books" Abberforth said. "That's nothing out of the ordinary, mind you, but there were a few other things you would not have expected"

"Such as?" Harry polished the end of his wand.

"Lots of women's dresses and robes. Nothing fancy though – just plain and black ones. I knew that Albus was a raging queen, even back in those days, but they were not of his size. Anyhows, we got to the bank and went to this vault of his. It didn't contain no treasure, but it did have something else"

"What?" Ahsoka was curious.

"A simple, wooden bed with a thin blanket and pillow. Mattress was one of them old ones from back when I were a kid. As I recall, I remember seeing this door on one wall, but Albus never opened it. I assumed it was a high security store, so I left it well alone"

"Can you remember the number of the vault?" Hermione grilled him.

"I don't recall" Abberforth said, "And that is the truth. I know it was very deep indeed. There was, however, sommat odd about that room"

"Oh?" asked Susan.

"That bed looked as if it had been slept in for some time. I dunno if that's where Albus takes his bum bandit friends"

"That would explain the dresses, but not in a small size"

"Children…?" suggested Ahsoka. The others just simply shuddered at the thought.

"I never saw Albus looking so worried since the day me sister died" Abberforth said. He was hoping that what he was telling the four would save his life. "That day in the vaults had him worried sommat wicked. He was looking for something, but I know he didn't find it. It had him almost relieved that he didn't find it. I only saw him that worried just after Ariana died. He took the body away and buried her himself. Never told me about it until it was too late to do anything"

"What did you do?"

"What could I do? I went to her grave, said my bit and went home again"

"What else was in this room?" asked Hermione. A thought had suddenly broken into her mind, and she needed more information.

"A small table with a rough wooden chair under it. Never found out what it was for. I asked Albus about the entire thing, but he told me it were none of me business"

"When your sister died, did anybody come to see her?" Harry asked.

"No" came the reply. "Like I said, Albus took the body away and said he had her buried quickly to stop her being cut up and examined"

"We'll make you a deal" said Hermione. "You give us the memories of being in the vault that day, and any other bits of information you 'suddenly' think of, and we'll not tell anybody about some of the stuff that goes on here" and Abberforth quickly nodded and allowed the memories to be copied and taken away.

# # # # #

"We'll find your Aunt" said Ahsoka. "Harry can find anything from a lost book to my clit" she added.

"Well I don't think Auntie is going to be in your clit" Susan said.

"Of course not" Ahsoka told her. "Much too old for me…"

"I'm sure that the Aurors will find her. But it is a question of-"

"Her being alive?" Susan asked.

"I was going to say time, but I suppose you have to think about that sort of thing as well" Harry said. "I can't help but wonder what is in that vault" he mused as they passed through the gates.

"You could always have a look" said Hermione.

"The memory recording will only tell us so much, Mione" Harry said.

"Don't you own the bank?" asked Ahsoka.

"He doesn't own it, but he is on the board of directors" Hermione suddenly became much more keen and thoughtful. "As one of them, you can order any vault to be opened after giving twenty four hours notice" she went on.

"I didn't know that" Harry said.

"Maybe Griphook didn't tell you about that because of some reason. He never did like Dumbledore when we said his name" Hermione pointed out.

"Wouldn't the first thing be to find out who is supposed to look after Susan during an event like this?" asked Ahsoka.

"No need" said Susan. "It was bloody Dumbledore" and Hermione nodded to herself.

"Allowing him access to the Bones vaults, the fortune and the voting block it has" she said.

"Is there anybody else you could go with?" asked Ahsoka.

"Either they are all dead or otherwise not… preferable" said Susan.

"So what do we do?" asked Hermione.

"As much as I hate to say it, the Aurors are going to have to take the lead on this one" Harry said. "The Goblins should be able to keep an ear to the wind and pass us anything that is important. For now, though, we have to concentrate on Dumbledore, and what he has in that vault"

"When can we have a look?" asked Susan.

"The next time there is a Hogsmeade trip" said Ahsoka.

"We could ask McGonagall if we can go at the weekend" Hermione said. "All you'd have to say is that is important business you need to take care of. She'd let you go to do it – I'm certain"

"Will she let us all go?" asked Ahsoka.

"Probably not" said Harry, "But maybe it is enough to just get me there. If she agrees, I'll ask if you and Mione can come"

"_That_ we _can_ do" said Hermione.

"I bet you can" Susan added with a giggle. "Is there anything that I can do to help you?" she asked.

"Just stay around Hannah and the other Hufflepuffs as much as possible" Harry said. "I don't think that anybody will try a kidnapping attempt if you are in such a large crowd"

"Let us hope it does not come to that" said Ahsoka.

#

In the end, McGonagall had been happy for the trio to go to Gringotts, and so they Portkeyed to London after breakfast that Saturday. After a little stop at a few of the shops in Diagon Alley, they entered the bank and went to a free Goblin.

"Good Morning, Teller. I would like to speak with Griphook" Harry said politely.

"And who shall I say is asking?" requested the Goblin.

"Lord Potter, Miss Granger and Miss Tano" Harry said. "And we'll be having a private room as well" he added.

"Of course" the Goblin bowed. "This way, please" and led the three to a small meeting room where they awaited Griphook. It was furnished in a sparse manner, but had comfortable armchairs and two coffee tables. Harry presumed that if there was to be a more important meeting, or one with large attendees, a much bigger room would be used. As it happened, they did not have to wait long as Griphook was only a short delay having gathered files he assumed Harry would like to look at.

"Good Morning, Mr Potter. Miss Granger. Miss Tano" he said.

"Morning, Griphook" Harry said. "I hope you and your family are well" he added. Griphook blinked in surprise at Harry's words.

"How did you know I have a family?" he asked.

"I didn't" he replied. "I wanted to see if I could make you reveal something important simply by asking an innocent question"

"Are you sure you don't have Goblin blood in your line?" Griphook shook his head.

"The ways things are going" Harry laughed, "I wouldn't be too surprised"

"How may I assist you?" Griphook asked, putting the files down on a table.

"I'd like to take a look at the vaults belonging to Mr Albus Dumbledore" Harry said.

"Do you have his permission?" asked Griphook.

"Hardly…" Hermione muttered.

"Mr Potter, I am afraid I can not let you look into the vaults of another person without their written approval" Griphook said.

"I thought you might say that" Harry nodded, "However, I wish to inspect the contents of a known and wanted criminal. As a major shareholder in the bank, I _do_ hold that right" and Griphook thought for a long time.

"Very well" he said. "Which vault would you like to visit first?" and the trio talked between themselves for a few moments.

"The highest security vaults that belong to him" said Hermione.

"I'd also like two Aurors before we go down to have a look" said Harry.

"Is our security not good enough?" asked Griphook. "I assure you that you will be safe from any wards around the vaults – I promise it"

"No offence was intended to you or the bank" said Ahsoka. "We merely wish for Aurors to be present in case we find something of great importance to the ongoing investigation" and Griphook became alarmed.

"I can not allow you to remove anything from the vaults unless there was a warrant and a court order" he told them.

"Griphook, Dumbledore has kidnapped, or arranged it, of Madam Bones – the head of the DMLE. Whilst we don't expect to find her inside one of the vaults, Aurors should be there in case we find evidence of criminal activity. I believe" Harry went on, "That finding something important to a criminal investigation and not notifying the authorities carries a very stiff penalty. It would also damage the reputation of the bank, and the loss of your position" and Griphook took a long time to consider that one.

"I shall ask for two to attend. Another Goblin shall take you to the first vault you wish to see"

#

"This is the last of the high security vaults belonging to Albus Dumbledore" Griphook said, stepping out of the cart with the trio and the two Aurors following closely.

"Please open it, Master Goblin" Harry said. Griphook hesitated before turning towards the door and muttering some quiet words - placing his finger inside a small hole besides the lock. The lock clicked and the door moved about an inch open with a grating noise.

"Christ…" the humans made a face at the stench which didn't seem to affect Griphook in the slightest.

"Has he stashed a dead body in here?" asked one of the Aurors.

"He never said that to us" Griphook frowned.

"I doubt he puts that onto a deposit slip" Ahsoka dryly remarked. The sound of a door opening and shutting quickly caused them to throw open the metal vault door.

"Has anybody come down here before us?" asked Hermione.

"Not according to the record book" Griphook said. He checked the little book sat in a recess in the rock wall of the passageway. "Nobody has been down to this vault in the last five months"

"Who and what came in?" asked Ahsoka as she withdrew her lightsaber.

"Albus Dumbledore" said Griphook. "He brought a large sack with unknown contents" the Goblin frowned. "He came back out again, so he can not be hiding in here"

"I think we'll find that one out for ourselves" Harry said to him, heaving the door further open to reveal the bed, chair and table that Abberforth had mentioned to them. What was different, however, was the clothes on the floor, the smell of an unwashed body and a hastily abandoned meal. "What is going on here" he wondered aloud, withdrawing his wand.

"Put that away!" Griphook said. "I can not allow drawn wands inside the bank" he added.

"Stuff it" said Hermione. Harry stepped into the room and tried to open the door – failing because of a locking ward that had been activated from the outside.

"I don't know how we could open this" he said at last.

"Doesn't look like anything based on Runes" said Hermione, examining the door for any clues.

"Allow me" Ahsoka said, and she activated her lightsaber and plunged it into the metal lock of the door. Within seconds, it had twisted from the heat and melted into a puddle on the stone floor. "Haven't lost it" she smiled.

"When did you learn that?" asked Hermione.

"You think I meditated in the temple all day?" Ahsoka asked sarcastically. Harry pushed the door open, took a step or two inside and let out a string of curses.

"Oh my gods…" breathed Hermione. A young girl was lying on the floor of a kind of cell, and it was clear that she had been abused physically as well as not fed well enough. Harry flashed back to the Dursleys, and how they had treated him for a number of years before finding out he was a Wizard.

"She isn't doing good" he said, bending down and doing one of the charms Madam Pomfrey would do. "I think she was made to come in here if somebody was to come inside the vault without doing a certain thing"

"She was cursed?" asked one of the Aurors.

"I don't know" Harry scooped the girl into his arms and headed for the cart. "Full speed, I think" he said to Griphook.

#

"Mr Potter?" Harry's name caused him to start from the sleepiness he was in.

"That's me"

"I thought you should know that the person you came in with is in a lot of trouble, however we are on the path to solving that. It will take several weeks for her to fully recover, but all should be alright in the end" said a Healer.

"That's good" said Hermione. "Have you been able to find out her name?" she asked.

"The brief moment she was talkable, she said her name was Ariana Dumbledore. I didn't know that Albus Dumbledore had a daughter" said the Healer.

"I don't think he does" Ahsoka said Harry's thoughts for him. "I think Dumbledore has been keeping that girl hostage for a long time"

"I don't understand"

"When she awakes, no matter how briefly, ask her what the year is" Harry said. "Is there a Floo connection that we could use?" he asked.

"There are the public ones downstairs" said the Healer.

"We wished to make a call" said Hermione.

"Oh, in that case you can use my office. It is just down the hall" and led them to it. They made a call to Professor McGonagall and explained they were awaiting being interviewed by Aurors about what they had discovered. The Headmistress had seemed angry over the situation, but knew it was not of their making and told them to return when they were able.

#

"Mr Potter?" the Auror's voice cut through the sleep and brought him back awake.

"Sorry… We opened the second door and found her lying on the floor. I checked her, found her not to be good and we took her to the surface and flooed over here at once" Harry said.

"You used Healing spells?" asked the Auror.

"No. Though I would have if I knew of any. I didn't want to try anything without know what her situation was. I did use a diagnostic spell so I could see if she was alright to move" Harry told her.

"I see" said the Auror. "Mr Potter, we may have to view your exact memory of the event. Would you be willing to provide such a sample?" and he nodded.

"I can't wait to get home" the boy said. "I've been here since this morning, put through the most exacting tests to see if I did the injuries and covered them up. I have not had much to eat or drink since my arrival here because Tom and Jerry outside wouldn't let me go in case I attempted to kill the girl" and the Auror frowned at that comment.

"Are you certain of this?"

"Does Zordon die outside his energy tube?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Who is Zordon?" asked the Auror. "Where can we find him?"

"Never mind…" Harry rolled his eyes.

"I will speak to both their supervisor and the Acting DMLE Chief. They will be reprimanded for their actions" the Auror said. "The Floo network is shutdown for the night, but you can use the ones from the Ministry. I am sure that the Ministry café can do something for you and your companions"

"Good" said Harry. "But I'd like to take a look at the girl myself – nothing personal. I just want to assure myself she is alright"

# # # # #

"We thought you'd be in there for hours" said Hermione. It was gone midnight, and the Ministry café had provided a nice stew for them to eat.

"They wouldn't let me leave the room once I had gone inside" Harry said, dipping the spoon into the bowl again.

"Not even for the toilet?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not even for that" Harry said. "It was lucky I was in an unused room which had one" he added.

"Have the Aurors said who is going to look after the girl?" asked Ahsoka.

"The Healers will take care of her for the moment, but they don't know about when she is better and fit to be released" Hermione said. "I asked the Healers before we left"

"I feel sorry for her" said Ahsoka. "After all those years locked up, she gets released and is destined for a care home" the Togrutan shook her head.

"I was in a care home once" said Harry quietly. "For a couple of months while the Dursleys were investigated for child abuse. It wasn't that bad, really, but I'll be dammed if I'll see another person end up like that if I can help it – she can live with us"

"Hogwarts is a safe place" said Hermione. "And she could learn to contain her magical abilities"

"I wasn't thinking that" Harry said. "I meant she can live with us in our suite. We have a spare bedroom and everything"

"McGonagall would never allow it" said Ahsoka.

"Do we have to tell her?" asked Harry.

"I think she would notice, Harry" said Hermione.

"So we'll tell her it or something" he shrugged. "For all we know, she gets adopted by somebody close to Dumbledore who kills her before she can give out any details of what has happened over the years"

"He won't get through to her now" said Ahsoka. "Aurors are guarding the corridor and the entrance to her room"

"Who is on there now?" asked Hermione.

"The black man and the woman who can change what she looks like" said Ahsoka.

"Shaklebolt and Tonks?" Hermione finished the last of her stew.

"That's them!"

Harry was out of the door before the spoon reached the dish.


	17. Secrets Revealed

**Secrets Revealed**

"Wanting to go to Hogwarts?" asked the Night Watchman.

"We need to go to St Mungos at once" said Harry. "And as many Aurors as you can get"

"Why?" asked the man – surprised by Harry's tone.

"I think a murder might be taking place"

"At St Mungos? There are four Aurors there – at _your_ request" the man added. "Nobody is going to commit a murder of anybody there. The duty guards wouldn't allow it"

"But what if the murderer is an Auror?" Harry said, hearing Ahsoka and Hermione running up behind.

"I didn't think of that" said the man.

"Something tells me you wouldn't" Hermione acidly said.

#

"Who are you?" asked Ariana.

"I'm called Tonks. I'm one of the Aurors supposed to protect you from anything bad happening" Tonks said, closing the door and putting several charms on it. "I've been asked to do a number of checks on you"

"Those Healers have already checked me"

"I know that, but these are ones Healers can not identify easily which means Aurors must do it"

"Is it going to hurt?" asked Ariana. She was tired from all that had happened over the last few hours, and the examinations and potion taking had also drained what little strength she had remaining after her ordeal.

"Oh, no…" Tonks advanced on the girl with a smile. "This isn't going to hurt one little bit"

#

The first indication that something was wrong came when the trio found no Auror guards on the lift doors. The only one in sight was Shaklebolt who was talking to a couple of Healers at the station on the other side of the corridor to Ariana's room.

"Shouldn't you three all be at Hogwarts by now?" he asked.

"Where is Tonks and the rest of the guards?" asked Harry.

"The others have been sent back" Shaklebolt said.

"_WHAT_?" Hermione said.

"Orders came from the Minister himself" Shaklebolt said. "Orders were to halve the guard. Tonks is inside with the girl whilst I am to remain out here at all times"

"Open the door" said Harry.

"Excuse me?"

"We think that Tonks is involved with something bad. If she is in there for an innocent reason… it doesn't matter. If she is in there for terrible purposes, and we sit out here and do nothing, then we might lose a valuable source of information regarding Dumbledore"

"Are you joking?" asked Shaklebolt. "Tonks is one of the best we have"

"ARGGGGGGHHHH!"

"No, I am not joking" Harry said, and tried to open the door. He found it locked with more spells then could be undone safely. Even a blasting hex did no good at all, but they had one more idea. "Dobby!"

#

Tonks was following Dumbledore's orders and killing the girl in such a way that it would look like a heart attack. A few more applications of the spell should just about do it.

_Thump_

"Nymphadora Tonks, stop this instant. Put your wand on the floor, drop to your knees and put your hands on your head" Kingsley Shaklebolt said – face as red as it had ever been.

"You fucking bitch!" Harry said.

"I was only following orders" said Tonks, still standing with her wand out.

"Dumbledork's?" Hermione asked.

"You dumb, dumb fucking snorkack" Ahsoka said, shaking her head – making her lekku wobble from side to side. Her lightsaber was on hot standby.

"Do as Kingsley says, or I'll stop you myself" Harry stepped forward and raised his hand.

"Going to hit a lady?" smirked Tonks.

"No"

"I didn't think so"

"But then again, you're no lady…" and Harry belted her – his fists flying out and catching the witch on both sides of her jaw. She down hard and went spinning to the wall as other Aurors came popping in with Dobby's help.

"Do you think she was giving Dumbledore information?" asked one of them.

"There's your leak, boys – PLUG IT UP"

"Lets go, scumbag" the Aurors tied Tonks up and transported her to the maximum security section of the Ministry cells. Healers came to undo the damage that Tonks had done, and the trio had refused to leave until this had been done. It wasn't until gone three in the morning that they rolled back into Hogwarts. They had not told McGonagall about what had happened, and she had become quite worried about the trio. They promised to tell her what had happened after six months of sleeping.

McGonagall was sure Harry, at least, was not joking about that.

#

A note on the coffee table informed the trio that they had been released from classes for the rest of the day, plus the following one as well because of the disrupted events. After taking showers, they came down to find Dobby putting platters out with bacon, mushrooms, sausages and fried bread. One of the bacon platters held very crispy bacon as Harry liked it. The elf knew that Harry was fond of bacon in all cooked forms, but liked crispy the best with enough ketchup to float the QE II on. Dobby wasn't sure why this was, but, he reasoned to himself, that was why the humans ran the world. If he knew why, he thought, he'd properly have his own servant or something.

"Anything in the paper?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing about what happened" Ahsoka replied as she skimmed through whilst eating her food.

"We're going to be well in it now" said Harry. "The whole process of interviewing us all over again is going to take a day or so. I would think that they would use Truth Serum on Tonks so they can find out information concerning Dumbledore"

"They can only do that if a person is suspected of withholding information" said Hermione. "There are also safeguards regarding its use"

"Such as?" asked Ahsoka.

"Veritaserum is allowed in an interrogation. Since the 1870's, a defendant has no automatic right to silence. If there are other serious pieces of evidence against them, he or she could be sent for Veritaserum, and quite often are. If the tests prove he or she had told the truth, charges are dismissed and their name cleared in the next edition of the _Daily Prophet_. If they admitted the charges, as the sophisticated mix of drugs force them to do, the confession is, of course, introduced as evidence. However, two safeguards apply - The subject has to have been charged with a crime, and they had to have denied the charge" Hermione recited from memory.

"So what happens if this Tonks person admits she tried to kill the girl?" Ahsoka asked.

"Then there would be no Truth Serum used at all. Without those limitations, Veritaserum could become tools of a despot or, worse, of torture" Hermione replied.

"Could have done a bit with some of that before the war" Ahsoka muttered darkly. "Is there any possible way around this?"

"Just one" said Harry. "It is possible for the Ministry to use it on her if she was withholding information vital to the security of the country – and the world, if the situation was desperate enough" and surprised Hermione who thought he had been playing paper airplanes with dean that lesson.

"Well Dumbledore seems like a terrorist" Ahsoka said, "And Tonks must know where Dumbledore is as she had to have got her instructions from him somehow"

"Just because somebody _seems_ like a terrorist, doesn't mean you can actually accuse them of being one" Hermione pointed out.

"I could give the Ministry permission to use Veritaserum, but I am involved in the case – so I can not" Harry said. "Neither can Susan as her Aunt is missing on, we think, Dumbledore's instructions"

"We could try asking Hannah's father" suggested Hermione.

"What about the school?" Ahsoka wondered. "He is wanted after the bomb Ginny Weasley put in Gryffindor Tower"

"Good point" said Hermione. "He supplied Bill and Charlie Weasley with the explosives, and he was wanted after that. If Tonks was in contact with Dumbledore after that, then she has, at the very least, failed in her duty as an Auror to take him in for questioning. _That_ would be enough for a Veritaserum induced questioning session. 'Soka, I could kiss you"

"Why stop yourself?" Ahsoka shrugged, and Hermione launched herself into the waiting arms.

"God Bless Bi-Sexuals" Harry moaned as he leaned back in his chair to watch the show.

#

"Bring in the accused" called Fudge. A door at one side of the chamber opened and admitted two Aurors – Tonks standing between the pair in cuffs. "You are Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror serving with the Ministry of Magic?" and she nodded.

"I am"

"You have been accused of communicating, aiding and abetting with a wanted criminal suspect. Do you deny the charge?"

"Yes, I do"

"Under normal circumstances, you would only be questioned normally. However, we have reasons to believe that you are withholding vital information for the security of this country. We are therefore going to administer a dose of Veritaserum to determine the extent of any possible crimes" Fudge said. "Aurors, please secure the Prisoner and administer the correct dosage" and after five minutes, everything was ready for the questions to begin.

"Is your surname Tonks?" asked Kingsley Shaklebolt.

"Yesh"

"Do you have a tattoo around your vagina?"

"Yesh"

"Very well" the serum was working. "Miss Tonks, please tell us the last time you spoke to Albus Dumbledore"

"It wath duh day dey fund that girl"

"What did Albus Dumbledore ask you to do?"

"Keel her"

"How?"

"By making eet louk lyke a art attack"

"Where" Fudge broke in, "Where did you meet him?" but Tonks didn't answer. Instead, she tried to speak, rolled her eyes upwards and slumped forwards. "Get a Healer – quickly" Fudge had been out of the Aurors for a long time, but he still knew the signs of somebody's protections kicking in. "Get a Seer here quickly. We need to find out the place she met Dumbledore at"

"We should get her stabilised first" said Shaklebolt.

"Don't teach your Granny how to suck eggs" Fudge shook his head. "You get a team to her flat and search it for any clues"

#

"I could get used to this" Ahsoka said. The trio were in the Gryffindor Prefects bathroom relaxing after the events of the previous day, and Harry watched one of his girls execute a perfect double summersault with a full twist into the swimming pool sized bath.

"Lucky that Harry and I are Prefects" said Hermione.

"And that we can invite a guest" pointed out Harry.

"That too" conceded Hermione.

"I wonder what we are going to do with our days off…" Ahsoka said, swimming to the edge of the pool and grabbing a drink.

"I don't know" said Harry. "I'd like to sit by the lake with a picnic, lie in the shade and listen to music"

"Or, and I know you very well, we could break out some brooms and do some acrobatics" Hermione said.

"I like that idea" said Ahsoka. "I haven't been able to fly much since I came here. Still… What if we spiced things up a bit?" she continued.

"What do you have in mind?" Hermione asked, spying Harry coming around the side and up behind Ahsoka.

"Each of us tries to hit the other with paintballs. Person with the most poi – Ah!" Ahsoka was cut off by Harry making a tactical precise strike – what he called tweaking Ahsoka's nipples from behind. "Fiend" she cried.

"Suck it up"

"I will tonight"

"Oh?" Harry raised a cheeky eyebrow.

#

Fudge was in his office when Shaklebolt came in with two folders in his hands. The Auror sat down in one of the plush seats before starting to explain the results of the investigation so far.

"We have completed the first stage of our examination of Tonks's flat" he said. "We have discovered a number of letters between Dumbledore and herself – mainly relating to what Harry Potter was doing. The last letter was from Dumbledore telling her to kill his sister, when to do it and how to make it look like an accidental heart attack" the man said.

"So we now have proof she was in contact with Dumbledore" Fudge mused. "Go on, Kingsley"

"We've also found the plans to the Ministry in a hidden space under the floorboards in her bedroom"

"What plans?"

"All the floor plans, plus the ones that show where each protection is located. There were hand written notes next to each describing how to deactivate them. We have also discovered a large amount of some powdery substance marked Anthrax" and Fudge's eyes widened.

"Have you opened it yet?"

"No" Shaklebolt said. "One of the team was on the investigation team for Ahsoka Tano's attack. She remembered what it was, placed it into a box and removed it to a high security cell near the courts"

"Mmm… What else have you found?" asked Fudge.

"We found significant amounts of money" said Shaklebolt. "More so then what is possible for an Auror of her rank to get. Even taking into consideration the fact she may have sold items, traded in stocks and the inheritance from Sirius Black, she should not have had that amount of money in the house"

"You suspect that she was being paid by Dumbledore to supply him with information?" Fudge asked, and Shaklebolt simply nodded in agreement.

"Looking at the letters would suggest that" he said. "As far as we can make out from just a simple and quick look at her correspondence, Tonks was supplying Dumbledore with enough information to do some serious damage. I think, however, that is not his true intention"

"Oh?"

"All of his attacks so far have been designed to hurt Harry Potter. If not him, then people very close to him – such as Miss Tano and the Director's niece. As you know, Dumbledore was trying to get his hands on the Potter fortune for the coffers of himself and the Order of the Phoenix. Going back to our favourite Auror" Shaklebolt said, "Our look around uncovered the fact she had a number of dark objects in her possession. In the kitchen, we discovered a number of potions being made. We are allowing them to complete before taking them for examination. From what we have been able to gather from looking at them, and from reading notes and potion making guides, she was making them for some big event. I suspect that it was to do with Harry himself"

"How do you work that one out?"

"Because there was an order in one of the letters telling Tonks to find out when Harry would be attending any Wizendgamot meetings, which rooms he would be in and who would be with him. We suspect she would have gained a position close to him, slipped him some kind of potion before taking away to Dumbledore. Once there, I am sure the stupid old git would have put him under heavy enchantments… the point is that we have enough to charge Tonks with everything you can think of" Shaklebolt finished.

"You had a rest?" Fudge asked him.

"Not since I came on duty last night"

"Go home and get some sleep, then come back and take charge of the investigation"

"I don't think I'm qualified to do that" said Shaklebolt, "And, under the circumstances, I think somebody else should-"

"Amelia Bones saw fit to make you one of her most senior Aurors. I suggest that you show me why she decided to do that" Fudge said. "Finished what you started just now, tidy everything up and then go home – that is an order"

#

_**CELEBRATION AS WEDDING TAKES PLACE**_

**The much anticipated wedding of Trent and Sarah Tweak took place this morning at the Ministry of Magic. The guest list was very impressive from their respective families to local and international dignitaries. Mr Harry Potter and his Hermione Granger and Ahsoka Tano, as well as the great Wizarding author Mr Pixel And Stephanie Forever were also in attendance at the event.**

"_I have known Trent for years now_**" said Mr Forever, "**_And I think he is lucky to get the girl of his dreams to become his wife. We've worked together on numerous projects, and I am sure he will put the same dedication into his marriage as his work. I wish them the very best_**" he added.**

"_Trent is a good bloke_**" said Mr Potter, "**_And Sarah couldn't ask for a better man. He has helped me with a number of difficult decisions over the last few months after the death of some close friends. He also supported me during some recent personal issues regarding my family to be. It was, therefore, an honour to attend his wedding and be best man_**" he continued.**

**For more on this event, please go to Pages 2 through 5.**

As Minerva McGonagall glanced out from the window and looked over the grounds, she saw Harry Potter go past it. He was not on a broom however, but waved as he climbed past her window on the third floor. At first, she thought she had had too much the previous night, but realised she hadn't touched a drop. Wondering if this was some illusion or prank, she hurried outside to see Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka scaling the outside of the west wing of the castle without any kind of rope or levitation charm. She was not alone at watching the trio as quite a sizeable crowd had gathered already, and McGonagall knew that some of them were supposed to be in classes.

"What are they doing?" she asked.

"They look to be climbing the outside of the castle" said Dean.

"Why, thank you for that assessment, Mr Thomas" McGonagall said. "Why are they doing it?" she enquired.

"Perhaps they wanted to get to the Astronomy tower but found the door was locked…" suggested Luna Lovegood. McGonagall could decide if she was being funny or not – this seemed all too surreal.

"They've got backpacks on" said Seamus.

"Are they planning to set up camp there?" asked the Headmistress.

"I don't think so, Professor" said Dean with a smile on his face.

"_Sonourus_" McGonagall cast on herself. "HARRY POTTER! GET OFF THE ROOF!" in reply, Harry looked down and shrugged before continuing the last hundred feet to the highest tower in the school.

#

"All set?" asked Hermione.

"People on this planet do this for fun?" Ahsoka was dubious.

"Not everybody" said Harry. "Some people who like to live a bit dangerously and live for the thrill of the moment do this sort of thing. I'll see you on the ground, ladies. GEROMINO!" he shouted and ran off the edge of the tower.

#

"FUCKING HELL!" McGonagall said before realising she still had the spell on her – causing cheers and jeers from the watching crowd. The people below watched as Harry ran off the edge of the tower – followed by Hermione and Ahsoka moments later. The three plummeted towards the ground, before reaching behind them and opening the packs – revealing them to be parachutes. Each one was a red colour with the golden lion of Gryffindor holding on to a large 'G'.

"WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!" Harry was heard to yell as he came down in a series of tight turns and twists. The three of them spun in patterns and had most people dizzy from just watching. They came to the ground in front of the Headmistress and handed in homework. "Afternoon, Professor. Hope this isn't too late" Harry said, flushed from the trip but still dead pan. McGonagall simply walked away shaking her head.

"I'm getting too old for this crap" she was heard to say.

#

The girl lay on the bed with Healers fussing around her. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around.

"Where am I?"

**A/N:**

**The little newspaper article is for my good fanfiction friend and long term reviewer Northwind Tweak who got married on the 18th. As I didn't attend it, not knowing when it was, I elected to put them on the front cover of the _Daily Prophet_ as a belated wedding gift from the author. One of those names in the article looks awfully familiar though…**


	18. Going To War

**Going To War**

"Hold this please" Harry said. Ahsoka held the metal panel up using the Force whilst she twisted some cables together. Whilst the panel was being held up, Harry slipped his hand into the black space beyond and started tightening screws. Hermione, meanwhile, was busy printing the runes needed for their project. They had to create something for Muggle Studies with as little magic used as possible. The trio gained an exemption because they needed large pieces of metal cut, but the machines capable of that would not work inside Hogwarts.

"Dobby be bringings you all some shiny stuff" the elf said, laying the polished metal on a work bench. They had claimed the unused Chamber of Secrets for their own use after telling McGonagall their project needed a lot of space.

"Did you find out where we can buy some oxygen scrubbers?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, Mistress Sokie" Dobby said. "But Wheezie Twins say they will help the Great Harry Potter and his Great Danes to find some"

"I think he means Dames" Hermione said to answer Ahsoka's puzzled look. "Could you bring us some juice and sandwiches, Dobby? That will be all" and the elf nodded before going away.

"I was wondering how we are going to make this work. I thought non magical things did not work inside Hogwarts" Ahsoka said.

"Some things do" Harry said. "My watch works, and the screen lights up in the dark. Luna's vibrator works – that's not magical either"

"How do you know she has one?" asked Hermione.

"She told me" Harry shuddered. "She thought my life would be richer if I knew she brought herself to orgasm every single time she heard my name"

"So even during and between classes…" Ahsoka was unable to finish what she had started.

"Getting back to the subject at hand" Hermione pressed on, "I'm going to send the power along these runes so that the important parts work just as well as if we had electrical cables"

"Speaking of which" Harry came out of the space, "I have ordered Warding Crystals from Diagon Alley. They should be here by the end of the week" and they all became much more cheerful. As they sat and ate the things Dobby had got for them, they looked at the half finished skeleton of their project.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Mione"

"How are we going to get these out?" and Harry realised the problem they had.

"She has a point" contributed Ahsoka.

"Bugger" was all that Harry could say.

#

"She has asked to see you" an Auror said, allowing the trio to move into the room that Ariana was in. The girl was propped up in the bed in her guarded room at St Mungos, and she looked over to see them entering.

"Hello" Ariana said. "I understand that you saved me. I just would like to say thank you"

"Think nothing of it" Harry said. "I'm used to saving people's lives"

"It my _job_" shrugged Ahsoka.

"I read about it" offered Hermione.

"I was hoping that dear Aberforth would be able to come here" Ariana said. "My guards have said that it is impossible. Could you ask him to come and see me? I would imagine he finds this quite a shock" and then the girl frowned at the expressions on the trio.

"Nobody has told you?" asked Ahsoka, pulling three chairs out of the air for them to sit in.

"Told me of what?"

"I hate to be the one to tell you this" Harry said, "But your brother Aberforth was killed last week" and Ariana's eyes widened.

"How? I know he was old enough to be a grandparent now, but this just can not be" she protested.

"Aberforth was helping us with an investigation into somebody going missing. We came to see what was in Dumbl… erm… Albus's other vaults. That was when we found you in that prison for all those years" Hermione said. "We had planned to go and see him to let him know about your not being dead, but we found out he had been killed"

"By who? What sort of man would kill dear Aberforth?" Ariana asked.

"It was Albus, your brother"

"_No_" Ariana whispered. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"We believe that Albus killed Aberforth to stop him from telling us any more important information" Ahsoka said. "All we have is a few memories from the time of your supposed death, a few from over the years since and what he told us"

"We can not even find where the house is now" said Harry. "We know it is some place in the country, but nobody knows because of special wards and enchantments Albus has put into place"

"3 Godric Walk" Ariana said swiftly. "Albus told me once. You might find him there" and the girl grew sad. "What is to happen to me?" she asked the trio.

"You should be able to leave here in another day or two" said Hermione. "After that, we thought you might like to go to Hogwarts"

"Aberforth told us how much you desperately wanted to attend it" Ahsoka said.

"Who is going to adopt me?" asked Ariana, wiping her tears with a handkerchief that Hermione conjured for her.

"We'll come to that later" Harry said. "I have to appear in front of a special court this afternoon. When I do, I am going to ask that you be placed under the protection of my family. The Potters are one of the oldest and greatest families that ever lived"

"You are a Potter?" Ariana gazed at him.

"Actually, I'm a painter" and the girl giggled despite her sadness.

"How can I ever repay you for saving me from what Albus has done to me all these years?"

"Just be our friend" Ahsoka said. "We like friends"

"True" agreed Hermione.

"They go well lightly toasted and with a pleasant red wine" Harry said – causing Ariana to laugh once more. She had, they noted, a very musical laugh.

"I'd do anything" she promised.

#

With Hermione and Ahsoka remaining with Ariana, Harry was in the court room with Susan and Hannah – both of whom knew the way the court system worked very well.

"And now we come to a petition" said the Magistrate. "Mr Potter, please step forwards" and Harry stepped forward to the applicant's desk. "I understand that you wish a child to be placed in your care" and Harry nodded.

"That is correct, Your Honour" he said. "The child is an abused orphan by the name of Ariana Dumbledore. She is the sister of Albus Dumbledore who is on the run for murder charges, kidnapping, fraud, multiple child abuse crimes and so on and so on…"

"Mr Potter, with respect, you are only a teenager yourself. Can we not remand her to the custody of her family?" the Magistrate asked.

"Her only living relative is on the run from Aurors" Harry said.

"How so? Does she not have a brother, Aberforth"

"_Did have_" Harry replied. "It is believed he was murder by Albus Dumbledore or by people working for him. This was shortly after he gave us information on several mystery trunks. To cut a long story short, whilst Miss Dumbledore was undergoing treatment she was attacked by Auror Nymphadora Tonks – an Auror working for an unofficial group"

"I see" said the Magistrate. "And this applies how…?"

"The Potters have some of the most powerful magic running through the family. I am acting as the Head of that Family" Harry said. "Ariana Dumbledore _has_ no such family to look after her, and I'll be damned if she goes to a care home and a foster family" Harry's emotions ran a little, and a golden wisp could be seen emanating from his body.

"Mr Potter, perhaps you do not realise the full extent of what you request" the Magistrate said, checking to see if he could fit under the bench if Harry's anger exploded at him. "You would have to feed her, clothe her, educate her and take care of her other needs. Do you have enough to support yourself and this girl?"

"I have over fifteen million Galleons" Harry replied. "I own stocks in a number of multinational companies. I have enough to look after myself, Ariana and my two fiancés" he added.

"So you would be living in a house with three teenage girls?" asked the Magistrate. "Mr Potter, I could not support this application, nor approve it, after what I have just heard" he said.

"If I assume what you are implying correctly, I shall have to call you out and ask for satisfaction" Harry said.

"Mr Potter, I do believe you mean well, but a child of your age living with three girls is a… risk… to some people's views"

"Sir, have you ever been in the care of another person or persons after your family have died?" Harry asked coldly.

"Never"

"I was. I was placed with a family supposed to bring me up, look after me and give me comfort when I needed it. I was instead placed with an abusive family that nearly killed me on numerous occasions. All because some court decided to do what _they_ thought was best – following Albus Dumbledore to the letter" and Harry paused as he made up his mind about something. "If you refuse my application, then I shall sell all of my business stocks, transfer the money to the Muggle World, take my fiancés, take Ariana and go live with the muggles. I'll even write a letter to Voldemort saying that so long as he does not harm myself or a number of people on a list of friends of mine, he is welcome to do what he wants with the magical half of this country" he packed up his documents, threw the application into the magistrate's face and faced him with eyes hotter than the sun. "I await, Sir, your reply. Good day" and walked out of the court room.

"Was it something I said?" asked the magistrate.

"Harry can get a little… emotional" Hannah said. "He suffered years of abuse at the hands of his relatives and can't understand why people would want to put a child into harm's way"

"He has told me how abused Ariana was. How she was barely alive when they got her to the hospital" Susan picked up. "To Harry, family is everything. Sure, he has two partners at the moment, but he is not going to try it with someone under aged. I can vouch for him in anything you wish. I have seen how much money he has in his personal vaults. I know what he has in the family vaults as well, but I am not going to mention this. What I will say is that Harry can provide everything that Ariana Dumbledore can ever want for. She'd live in her own room in the private suite he shares with his fiancés. She'd be educated to the same standard as everybody else at Hogwarts"

"If you refuse Harry's request, as you seem to be, you risk losing the entire war before it has even begun" Hannah said. Both girls stood up, turned round and walked out of the court room.

#

"What happened?" asked Hermione.

"Judge said no" Harry replied.

"So…?" Ahsoka asked.

"I said that if he didn't grant the request, we'd all do the Bug Out Boogie and vanish into muggle world. They would never ever find us there" Harry told them.

"Frak" said Hermione quietly.

"A pity we could not return to my universe for even a brief period" Ahsoka said. "Master Yoda would have done a mind trick on them" she explained.

"I left Susan and Hannah back there" Harry said, sitting down in one of the chairs. "They might be able to swing something. I just felt immense anger that some comfortable prick was following the rules to the letter. He couldn't understand what it is like to have no family. What it is like to have nobody to care for you. To have people place you into terrible danger…" Harry counted to five before the windows and door would smash apart.

"I do not wish to be too much trouble" said Ariana.

"You are not the problem" said Hermione. "Harry came from a… difficult… childhood. His relatives would beat him, starve him and force him to be their slave"

"How ghastly"

"Noooo" Harry drew out. "You think?" he asked sarcastically.

#

It was not until the evening that Harry's application was accepted, and Ariana's care was entrusted to him for the foreseeable future. In the intervening week before Ariana attended Hogwarts for the first time, a wand was made for her and she was given books to study during her remaining stay at St Mungos. McGonagall and the staff had been understanding of the situation, and they had no problems with the girl staying in the suite. All of her supplies were obtained as well as a pet Owl which she named, for reasons known only to Ariana, Jessica. With Hermione and Ahsoka busy on their secret project, Harry visited Ariana the night before she was released. All during the time since her discovery, one question had been at the centre of his thoughts – how had she survived?

"Albus found a way to transfer magic from one person to another" the girl explained to him. "After the fight I got involved in, my magical core was drained and I nearly died. Albus locked me up in that cell at Gringotts and would visit every so often with magic to keep me alive"

"He gave you bits of his own magic?" Harry asked. He had a faint memory of reading something to do with that, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Ariana, however, shook her head to the question.

"He would never do that" she said, "Not after the first and only time he did it. That was only to keep me alive until he could find something else. He found young girls and boys, did things to them before ripping their magic and killing them in the most hideous ways - Albus often showed me graphic memories of what he had done to them. Once he had the magical essence, he would give it to me until I needed more to survive. Getting a position at Hogwarts was because of that. The occasional death or accident gave him the chance to steal magic and keep me alive, though at my then physical age – I never grew up" and Harry understood. Apart from his crimes already known, Albus Dumbledore was going to be wanted for child rape and magic stealing – both serious offences.

"Once you left the boundaries of the cell at Gringotts, you were able to catch up on a few years and become fifteen" he said.

"Correct" she replied. "I seem to have had a growth spurt as well" Ariana looked down at her chest. "I never had these before" she blushed.

"Oh…" Harry didn't know what to do.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Can you show me what to do with these?" and then frowned as Harry hit the floor and spoke in gibberish. "Was it something I said?" asked Ariana.

#

"_WHAT_?" Harry thundered. "You are not going to do anything at all?" he asked.

"It isn't that we are going to do anything" said Fudge, quickly estimating his remaining life span. "Dumbledore has done too much in the way of wards around this castle he has taken over. Apart from that, he has Trolls and Giants roaming around the grounds of Ragnar"

"Excuse me?" Hermione blinked.

"Where Dumbledore is staying" Fudge said. "We can not get anybody because of all the protections in place. He could wait a siege out in perfect comfort" he added.

"So let me get this straight" said Ahsoka. "You plan to do completely nothing in the hopes you get a break?"

"It is the best options we have. Nobody we have can take him down. The place is laced with booby traps and ancient defence systems."

"Well…" Harry sighed as he stood and went for the Minister's office door, "Looks like muggins here will have to do it himself" and headed for an apparition point.

#

"… and that is the plan" Harry said, looking at the audience before him. He had called a meeting of the members of all four houses belonging to the DA, as well as those that had been waiting to join. A number of Aurors, Hit Wizards and Goblins also sat in rows in the Room of Requirements. "Any questions?" he asked. Nobody moved for several seconds until a girl raised her hand.

"Will we be getting any pudding after this?" she asked.

"Yes, yes you will" Ahsoka said.

"Good" and Luna sat down again.

"How are we going to get to where Dumbledore is?" asked a Slytherin.

"We're going to fly there" Hermione said. "We can't say how for the moment, but we're going to go there without using brooms. Using the school brooms is a bad idea because of the differences in speed. Me, Ahsoka and Harry have been working on a different method of moving us all there"

"Do you realise" said one of the Aurors, "That we have been told to keep away from Dumbledore's fortress?"

"Oh, shut up" Shaklebolt said. When Harry had asked him if he wished to come with them on a planned assault of Dumbledore's lair, the tall, black man had instantly said yes. He was tired of sitting around and doing nothing when they could be out doing the job they were supposed to be doing.

"If I may ask…?" Griphook asked. "When do you plan to launch this attack?"

"We plan to do it in about a week's time" said Harry. "The DA is going to train during the evenings that are free to them. The RoR is going to be used to slow down time"

"Slow down time?" a Ravenclaw asked. "That is not possible"

"It is if you ask the room for it to happen inside it" Hermione said.

"I will be running a number of training exercises with people that wish them" Ahsoka said. "Some of you know a little of my background, and I have seen the most hand to hand combat - bar Harry" she went on. "Tomorrow evening, I shall watch you all battle and see what needs to be done"

"Don't you think we should tell a teacher?" asked a Hufflepuff. Harry simply rolled his eyes, pointed his wand at the boy and hit him on the side of the head.

#

The attack actually took place a fortnight after the meeting of those wanting to aid in the downfall of Dumbledore – or the Legion of Super Heroes, as Harry called it. Some had their own reasons for taking part. Luna was still just doing it for the pudding afterwards.

"Everybody is here" said Hermione to Harry.

"Ladies, gentlemen, invited beings and Slytherin House" Harry spoke. "Tonight could be the end of Dumbledore. After he has gone, we just have to take care of Voldemort" he added with a little joke.

"Why are we all down here?" asked Daphne Greengrass.

"Because this is how we're getting to Dumbledore's house" Harry replied, and, with his wand, cancelled the concealment charm in the Chamber of Secrets. In the middle of it stood three gleaming craft – two of which were identical. They looked like they were built for speed. A long nose extended from the main part of the craft, wings extended from the middle on both sides and four squat tubes protruded out from the back. The third one was almost completely round, with a tiny cockpit bolted, almost as an afterthought, to one side.

"They look good" said Senior Auror George Lucas.

"Right" said Hermione, casting a _Sonarus_ on herself. "Everybody who is going to fight, get in the _Freedom_" she pointed to the larger of the three craft. "Healers and Medical teams to set up shop in the back of the chamber" she added, running things as best as she could remember in the correct order.

"I just hope these work" said Ahsoka. "We've never even tested these out at all" she added.

"We'll just have to commission these en-route" Harry said, walking over to one of the race like craft and jumping in. It was lucky, he thought, they had translated the next part into English from Ahsoka's notes. When he looked at them, however, he found he was unable to read them properly. "Must be more tired then I thought" he called over to Ahsoka.

"I'll talk you through it" she said. "Okay, find the main bus breakers on panel 11"

"Yeah, main bus breakers. Got it"

"Close main bus B"

"There is a bit of condensation on these panels. What do you think about these shorting out?"

"Just have to come to that if it happens" Ahsoka replied.

"Main bus B is closed" Harry said, pressing a white button on the correct panel. At once, several of the cockpit lights came on – providing illumination for the space.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, go ahead, 'Soka"

Okay, now... Panel 5. Circuit breakers 'caution and warning', main B closed"

"Main B closed..." and a light flashed on with a honking horn to go with it. "Master alarm off..." Harry said, punching the alarm button to cancel it out.

"Okay, Harry. On panel 7, B mag number 2 power to warm up"

"B mag number 2. Power to warm up" and he heard a slight humming noise coming from behind the seat he was in.

"Sequential logic1 and 2 on"

"Sequential logic... 2 - on"

"CM RCS pressure on"

"CM RCS pressurization" Harry continued to press buttons and flick switches as Ahsoka called them out.

"Okay, Harry. We're ready to see if the computer will accept uplink of the flight data now"

"Right. The IMU's up. We got our eight-balls!" he said with excitement.

"Copy that" Ahsoka said, doing her own cockpit checks

"Uplink completed"

"That's affirm. Go ahead and try it"

"Okay, Ahsoka... Uplink telemetry, command module to accept, right?"

"Yes" and Harry hit three buttons on the bank of panels and waited for his computers to kick in. Computers would not normally work inside Hogwarts, but Harry, Ahsoka and Hermione had worked to replace some of the wiring with magical betters – allowing this all to take place.

"I'm running" Harry said. The screens lit up with the latest information on engine ability, altitude and warning him that the cockpit hood was still open. He reached down and put on his helmet – plugging in the oxygen and radio as he did so. "Ahsoka, Mione. Radio Test. ONE, TWO, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE. FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE" he said.

"_Reading clear and VERY loud_" Ahsoka said.

"_Good here_" said Hermione. "_Starting engine run up_"

"_Two is doing the same_"

"As am I" said Harry. He worked the keyboard and the engines on his craft roared into life – waking up the many residents of the castle not aware of what was going on. Hermione lifted off first, and the huge transport filled with fighters took to the night sky with a little wobble now and again.

"_Two lifting off_" and Harry watched as Ahsoka gently lifted off in her X-Wing, flew up the launch tunnel and into the night air. Harry was just about to do the same when he saw Dobby running towards him with a number of knives in his hand.

"PLEASE BE WAITINGS FOR DOBBY!" he wailed. Harry levitated the elf into the cockpit and jammed him between his legs.

"One launching" Harry said, and stood the X-Wing on its tail in order to climb out of the Chamber of Secrets. Once he had cleared the top part, he swung it around and took position on the left side of the _Freedom_. "Switch on stealth settings and proceed" Harry said.

"_Two acknowledges_" Ahsoka said.

"_Three_" said Hermione. "_Complying with orders_" and the trio flew off and over the Forbidden Forrest to a location close to where Dumbledore was. Once he was on course, Harry flicked on the automatic pilot and looked down at Dobby.

"So what made you want to come?" he asked the elf.

"Dobby be wanting to be bestest elf to Harry Potter" he said, glancing at all of the displays with a child like awe.

"Are you sure, Dobby?" and the elf nodded.

"Dobby be very sure" the elf said, slowly and carefully, Harry noticed. "Dobby thinking that he be a very bad elf if he didn't stick to his Harry Potter and protect him" the whole sentence took a minute and a half to complete.

"Well…" Harry said, looking to his right to see the _Freedom_ and Ahsoka's X-Wing flying alright, "I guess I would need a helper when I take down Dumbledore" he reached around and shook the elf's hand. "Welcome aboard, Dobby" he said.

#

Those whom had had no idea of what was going just stood in open astonishment as three odd things rose out of the ground like mythical monsters from beyond the grave. Each of them turned and zoomed away with a loud roaring noise as they did so.

"Have you ever seen such things?" McGonagall asked, watching the final one rise out of the ground and hurry away.

"Never" replied Flitwick. "Never in all my years… I don't think my cousin Warwick could imagine it" he added.

"Do you think they could be…" Pomfrey said, looking as the last lights from the craft vanished over the horizon.

"Be what?" asked McGonagall.

"Something to do with Albus…"

"I don't know" came the reply. "If they are, why wait until now to come alive? Let us hope that nothing has gone amiss. I do not doubt anything more will happen" the last came after several minutes of watching for more to come out of the hole in the grounds.

# # # # #

"_MINERVA!_"

# # # # #

The three craft sat in a wooded area deep in the New Forest, and everybody was sat or stood in the clearing doing last minute things. The trio plus the House Prefects were going over several maps of the place Dumbledore was living in. Others also joined in from Aurors to members of public.

"We know that the Trolls and Giants are our main problem" said Ahsoka. "From what Dobby has been able to tell us, they guard between the middle and the inner parts of the grounds" and Harry praised the elf for his bravery in going to take some pictures.

"Harry and Ahsoka will go in first and eliminate the Giants and the Trolls. Once that is done, they will make a pass over the grounds to take quick shots at anybody that isn't on our side" Hermione said. "Once we have a secured area, I'll fly the rest of us down and the assault will begin" and they nodded in agreement.

"I know this will sound odd to most of us here, but we have to let the muggles go first on this one" Harry said. "They have the most experience in using weapons like the ones they have, and it will help us to get a foothold on the property" he explained.

"Once we get inside, it will be split into the teams we talked about earlier" said Ahsoka. "The Hit Wizards will go down and take out the Ward Chamber so Dumbledore can not apperate or floo out"

"If that happens" Daphne said, "How do we get our injured out and away from here?" she asked.

"Although we're setting up our own wards" Hermione said, "I have been able to tune the portkeys into the same frequency. They will activate either by touch or when the portkey senses that the wearer is too injured to do it themselves. They will be transported either to Hogwarts or directly to St Mungos, depending on the level of treatment required" she said.

"Any questions?" Harry asked.

"MUMPFH, WURBLE BUMPF BUDP DOSE" Luna said.

"I'm afraid I don't speak cupcake" said Ahsoka paitently.

"I was wondering what everybody else is doing" Luna repeated, swallowing a dessert she had almost _Crucio_'d a Fifth Year for.

"The Aurors will go in with the Goblins and take out the most hardened of the Death Eaters. The rest of the assault force will take on the outer parts of Dumbledore's house and look after the lesser trained of his followers" Harry said.

"And you three go in and take on the boss" Shaklebolt said.

"You make this sound like a cooperate takeover" Hermione laughed. "We're just going over to Dumbledore on Ariana's orders"

"Oh? How so?" asked the Auror.

"Ariana has decided, as the next senior member of the family that Albus is no longer fit enough to be the Head of House. She has requested help from the House of Potter to relieve her brother of his position. All perfectly legal"

"And the hundred or so students here?"

"School trip" Ahsoka said.

"About time we got going" Harry said, noting the brightening sky above.

"I think people want a speech" said Ahsoka.

"I'm not any good at those" Harry replied.

"Just say what comes to mind" Hermione said, and so everybody listened to Harry.

"In a minute or two, we're going to launch the biggest type of assault in the history of this country. We've all come so far in such a short amount of time… Students, Aurors, Goblins, Muggles and others – people who would not normally stand together. If we can take out Dumbledore, then I would say we could take out Voldemort without much extra effort" Harry fell silent for a moment before choosing his next part carefully. "Someone once told me that Dumbledore and his followers are like an army. That they are making us fearful, afraid, scared and making us prisoners of our own homes. Let me tell you something about that, would you? No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe then the need for freedom. Against that power, governments, tyrants and armies can not stand. Dumbledore learned this lesson once before – we shall teach it to him again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be…_ free_" and he finished to cheers.

"Everybody back into the big ship" Hermione said. Harry was going to his X-Wing when Dobby's tugging of his robes caused him to stop and look behind himself.

"I thought I asked you to go with Hermione"

"Dobby be knowing this" the elf said. "Dobby be scared of Mistress Mione flying"

"Fair enough" Harry agreed. He couldn't ask Dobby to do what _he himself_ was frightened of. "Two. Three. Launch in two" Harry said to Ahsoka and Hermione.

"_As ordered_"

"_Aye, Aye_"

"Computers running, engines on and powered up" Harry said, running through a check list. "Controls operable, lasers powered, torpedoes on standby. Here we go" and he lifted up to join Hermione. After Ahsoka had joined them, they swung to the south west and powered away. "Two. Three. Radio check"

"_Two receiving_"

"_Three receiving_"

"Hermione, I want you to have Muggles at the loading ramp. Once you open it, they can fire at will and secure a perimeter for you to disembark your passengers" Harry said.

"_Understood_" the grim reply came.

"_Lead, Two_" Ahsoka said.

"Go, Two"

_I was thinking we could do a strafing run on the living quarters of this place_" and Harry mulled that over.

"_The walls are over four feet thick_" Hermione said. "_Are you sure that we can blast them apart?_"

"_We don't aim at the walls, Mione. One of us smashes the windows whilst the other pops a couple of torpedoes in_"

"Sounds good to me" said Harry. "Maintain radio silence until we reach target location"

"_Understood_"

"_Aye, Aye_"

#

"Two, Three. This is lead" Harry said over an hour later.

"_Two_"

"_Three_"

"Target in sight" Harry said. "Ahsoka, lock S-Foils in attack position" he said as he flipped a switch and raised the wings up and down – showing why it was called an X-Wing.

"_Lead, Three. Picking up powerful wards around the place_" Hermione called.

"Understood, Mione. All power to forward shields" and all three craft started to shake and shudder.

"_We must be passing through the magnetic field_" Ahsoka said.

"_My god_" said Hermione. "_Look at the size of that thing_"

"Giants, dead ahead" said Harry, noticing them suddenly appear out of nowhere. There must have been a modified glamour over the entire estate. "Weapons hot" he called to the other two. "Cleared to engage"

And so began the final battle…


	19. The War

**The War**

The war that finished a tyrant was short, bloody and terrible – like most battles...

It was costly…

The price paid was high…

Too high by some…

This is the story of the fight to end evil…

The story of different cultures coming together…

Of legends made…

And lost…

This is the true account of how the war ended, how it was won and how it was lost…

#

Harry and Ahsoka completed their runs and landed next to the _Freedom_ – jumping out with weapons at the ready.

"You ready?" Ahsoka asked Hermione.

"No"

"Never mind that" Harry said. "Are all the wards in place?" he asked her.

"Nothing except one of our portkeys can escape via magical means, and we have a secured outside of that" Hermione told the pair.

"Then let us go to see our former Headmaster" Ahsoka said brightly.

"One thing" Harry said sharply. "If one of us falls, the others keep on going until we're all dead or _he_ is" and they nodded grimly. If sound alone was to win this fight, then the gunfire put up by the muggles would have been the victor. Harry checked that his dragon skin armour was in place, wand holster secured and headed off to join the fight.

#

"Have the trolls smash whatever it was these fools came in" Dumbledore ordered.

"They can not" said Lupin. "They have brought muggle weaponry with them, and they are shooting anything that moves towards them" he added.

"Have the Trolls charge at them" Dumbledore said. "Use the confusion to run up and eliminate the ones that survive"

"And Potter?"

"He, those two whores and whomever so comes with him must survive. At least until the corridor leading to here" Dumbledore. Lupin nodded and walked off to pass on the orders. They had spent the last few days collecting muggles from all over the country and placing them under enchantments. Even if Harry was to win this, everybody on his side would be guilty of murder on a grand scale.

#

"_Tirez_" and a man's arm came off – followed quickly by his head. Small explosions indicated that someone was throwing grenades to their right.

"Harry" Ahsoka said as she used her lightsaber to cut a woman in half. "If we can work our way around the edge of the grounds, we might be able to sneak into the house using the old water pipes" and Hermione agreed.

"Ariana said that Dumbledore might not know about them"

"Or we could go up them and find he has them well guarded" Harry said.

"So how do we get inside the thing?" Ahsoka asked – firing off three quick spells that took out a trio of witches.

"The front door – won't be expecting that" Harry said, taking the backpack off Hermione for a while. "Luna, this is Harry. Get together with Susan, Hannah and Dean to round up the muggles and take them back to the ship. We need them to keep that secured for our evac" he said to a magic mirror.

"Alright, Harry" came the girl's voice.

# # # # #

"We've counted the number of students in the great hall" said Flitwick.

"And they do not match to what we expect" said Sprout. Not for the first time, Minerva McGonagall wondered why _exactly_ she had chosen to take up teaching.

# # # # #

"Albus, they are getting nearer to the house" Lupin said.

"Send out the Death Eaters, Remus. I am sure that our guests will be most pleasantly surprised by this turn of events" Dumbledore said. He listened to the sounds of spells fired, of people getting injured and of people getting killed. He had been planning this fight for nearly a hundred years now, and he was going to enjoy all of his power that was to come. Once Harry and the others had been eliminated, he could start to take over the Ministry. Once the Magical part of the country was in his grip, he was going to make a move on the muggles. All of those here with him were those people who shared his dream. The last few people to disagree with his beliefs had been… dealt with. If he was to survive, Albus Dumbledore was going to take great pleasure in taking out the bane of the last few years.

Although it would be worth it to see the look on his face when it was finally revealed that _he_ was, in fact, someone completely other than what he was expecting…

#

"So much for that plan" Harry said, slowing the bleeding by tying a bandage around it the large wound in his wand arm.

"How long is it going to take to stop anyone escaping?" asked Ahsoka.

"Ten minutes" Hermione replied. She was sporting several cuts on her face, a large gash on her thigh and a suspected broken left foot.

"Can we hold out that long?" Ahsoka said, using mental control to stop screaming from the pain she was in. Her lekku had been torn, and the left one was held on by just some thick pieces of skin. She would be spending a lot of time recovering from this one.

"We have no choice" said Harry with a grimace. "It is going to take that long to power up our crystals to that same level of power as the ones Dumbledore is using. Once that happens, there is a five minute delay before they activate and prevent anybody from leaving at all"

"How are going to all get back?" asked Hermione.

"I have asked Dobby to pop around and pick up as many people as he can get hold of" Harry told her. "We have a five minute gap to get back to the ships, load everyone on and get out before the shields pop up"

"And that is when…" Ahsoka nodded at the bag Harry was still holding. Bombing stone houses was not something covered in the Jedi Handbook.

"Anybody not getting out… isn't" he shrugged. "We all knew the risks before coming here. This has to be done one way or another" he looked at the others. "We have to get going" and they continued on their way to the showdown.

#

The fight was very tough to fight, and the students took the brunt of the fighting. When the Death Eaters had turned up and joined in, the attacks had been forced to fall back to the bodies of the Giants and Trolls to use as cover. Cries of pain and death rang out over the sounds of the greatest single magical engagement since China's loss to the Netherlands in the 1974 Gobstones World Cup. Dobby made himself useful by bringing some of the wounded to be treated by the few medically trained people with them, but most automatically portkeyed away to Hogwarts or St Mungos. A wall of bullets prevented Dumbledore's side from getting too close, but the spells took out many good people. Friends and loved ones became corpses and body fragments before another's unbelieving eyes. Even the most hardened Goblins wondered if this was a battle that could be won. It _might_ be possible for damage to be caused to Dumbledore's forces, but Harry's side would also take a great battering.

"Lavender, see if you can work your way around the edge of the fighting" Neville said. "Take some others with you. If you can, start attacking them from behind. It'll cause them to split up their attention"

"We cant repel firepower of that magnitude" said Seamus.

"Thanks, Admiral Ackbar" Dean shook his head. He was going to say something else, but he had seen Neville shoot a spell at Luna – missing by inches.

"Neville?" Luna looked frightened as the wizard pointed his wand straight at her chest.

"You always have to do exactly the opposite of what I tell you, Luna Lovegood" Neville said. "Every single time… Just stand still, and stand perfectly still" and the girl caught the glint in his eyes and dropped to the bloody grass as a spell whizzed over her head. "_Exosossis Opprimo! Percuito_!" The bonecrusher caught Bellatrix Lestrange in the chest with a powerful snap, sending her plunging down the stairs. The piercing curse lanced through the witches' lower back, sending a spray of blood and pieces of flesh misting into the air. The woman's shriek of pain became a strangled gasp that ended when her head slammed into the cold unforgiving stone. The Death Eater landed roughly and slid bonelessly the remaining distance of her last motion - settling in a tiny, barely moving heap of bleeding flesh. "THAT WAS FOR FRANK AND ALICE LONGBOTTOM!" he screamed, running over and ripping her agony contorted face off with his bare hands.

"Neville?" Dean put a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine" he replied, looking at the lump of flesh and blood that was once a powerful and feared witch. Neville didn't know where the spell had come from – it just entered his mind. "Lets finish this" and they fired at their attackers.

#

The trio were alone now – standing in the main hallway of Dumbledore's fortress. The others had become too injured to carry on, and they had portkeyed away to relative safety and treatment. Harry, Hermione and Ahsoka stood in the blood of their enemies as they plotted what to do next. They could feel the pain from wounds sustained in battle, and the potions took only so much off. Ahsoka's damaged lekku had come off and was sitting in her pocket. She hoped that Pomfrey could reattach it later on.

"So what next?" asked Hermione.

"Only two ways in or out of the dining room" said Harry. "If he is using that as his throne room" he added. "'Soka – you go in from the left, and we'll go in from the right" he said. "We should be able to split whoever is inside"

"One way or another" said Hermione darkly. They encountered nothing but the bodies of those that they had killed, and they lined up on the doors inside the room. "_Revealo Occupants_" and a large number of fuzzy red blobs appeared on the door she was stacked up on with Harry.

"Got the lot" said Harry with a grin.

"I am not so sure" said Hermione. "None of them are moving" and Harry saw what she meant. Given the attack going on, one would have seen blobs moving around the place.

"It's a trap!" Ahsoka said, looking like a goldfish.

"A decoy" Hermione said. "These are not even locked" and pushed the door open to prove it. The stench of bodies came out, and the trio knew this was a distraction to keep them away from Dumbledore.

"By the Force…." Ahsoka whispered. It looked like all of the people captured by Dumbledore's forces had been placed in here for them to find.

"Dobby!" and the elf came into view. "I want you to take all of these people back to the ship" Harry said. "Tell the medics to just stabilise them for now!" and the elf nodded and started work.

#

"So…" Dumbledore said to himself. "They have found the prisoners. So much the better for it as well. Remus, my loyal friend, have all of our people make a mass charge on the fools Potter brought with him" and Lupin was starting to move off when Dumbledore added "And if you want some of the children as your playthings, I have no problems with that" and Lupin walked away with a smile on his evil face.

#

"The new crystals are in the warding chamber" said Griphook. "You have five minutes to escape from this place" he added.

"Thank you, Master Goblin" Harry bowed. "Now get the hell out of here, and take as many people still alive with you" and Griphook nodded.

"Good luck, Harry Potter" he said, turning to leave with the Aurors and Hit Wizards. As they went lower and into the dungeons of the house, they saw a number of cells containing dead bodies. The trio presumed it was filled with people that had refused to join Dumbledore or had no use as prisoners to be found in a diversion.

"Wait" Ahsoka whispered. "I can sense lots of magic ahead" and pointed to the end of the corridor. A large pair of heavy and thick wooden doors held some kind of secret behind it.

"Dumbledore?" asked Hermione.

"I do not know" Ahsoka replied. "But I can feel a lot of dark magic on the other side of them. I can't read what is in there, but I'll try again as we ge-" she was cut off as one door opened and they saw a slightly tired man walk towards them.

"In here" Harry pulled his two fiancées into a darkened cell as the man came up and then past them.

"That's…" Hermione was going to finish but Harry had the door of the cell wide open and blasting Lupin off his feet.

"YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD! YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!" he roared, snapping the man's wand beneath his foot. "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME? HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY PARENTS!" and kicked him in the ribs – hearing the satisfying crunch of bones breaking.

"Dumbledore is the way of the future" spat Lupin. "Muggles _need_ to be controlled before they control us" he said. "Your parents were fools to not realise that, and they were punished by Dumbledore accordingly" and Harry raised his wand and broke the man's legs.

"You mean he let the address be given out?" he raged. "Dumbledore allowed my parents to be murdered?"

"You dumb, dumb bastard, Harry" Lupin spat out blood as he laughed. "All these years you thought Voldemort murdered him, and you never even realised that he was one and the same person. I was the Secret Keeper – not Pettigrew. It was an honour and a prevelige to honour Dumbledore with where you all lived" and Harry snapped. Creating whips made out of fire, he tore Lupin to pieces and kept going until there was nothing left of the cursed wizard. When he was done, he was covered head to foot in fresh blood, flesh and organs.

"Fuck you" Harry spat at the miniscule remains. He was shaking as the blood pooled around his boots – causing macabre ripples to form in the lake.

"Harry?" Ahsoka placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No matter what is in there" Harry said through clenched teeth, "Dumbledore is mine – got it?" and the other two just nodded.

"We have three minutes" said Hermione.

"I know" said Harry. "Dobby!" and the elf appeared once more.

"Dobby has taken people to flying muggle things" he said.

"Good elf" Harry said. "I need you to do something very important for me"

"Dobby be doing whatever the great and wonderful Harry Potter be telling Dobby" the elf bounced on his heels. Harry leaned closer and whispered something to the creature, straightened and then spun on his heel and stunned both Hermione and Ahsoka.

"Now" Harry said, and Dobby, Hermione and Ahsoka left as Harry took the bag and checked to see that the bomb was still working. With a deep breath, he turned and went to the doors, knocked heavily on them before blasting them to splinters and walking inside. "Good evening, Lord Voldemort" he said.

#

"Where is Harry?" asked Susan. The elf that had brought Ahsoka and Hermione back to the ships was about to pop away again until a dozen wands came to bear.

"Dobby is not supposed to be telling you" the elf said. It was clear that he was as scared as any to be doing this.

"Is he facing Dumbledore alone?" asked Hannah. With a wail, Dobby nodded and started banging his head into the _Freedom's_ port landing struct.

"Oh gods…" Susan shook her head.

"Alright people" Dean said. "On me" but it was that same moment that a shield surrounded the outer edge of the grounds of the castle. The remaining living members of Dumbledore's forces tried to pour all of their magical power into the breaking of the shield. Leaving Ahsoka and Hermione to round themselves, Harry's forces began the gruesome task of recovering and dealing with the dead. The pair became very upset when they awoke, but understood that Harry was doing this to protect their lives.

"I am going to kill him when he gets home" Hermione said.

_**BANG**_

A huge explosion ripped out the ground of the castle, and flames shot up and high into the air. A terrible shudder could be felt as it worked its way up to a full scale earthquake tremour.

"_If anybody is listening to this_" said Harry's voice over the working mirrors, "_Then I suggest that you get the hell away from here_"

"But you can reach us" Ahsoka cried.

"_I'm trapped in the dungeons_" Harry said. "_No way of getting out of here before this place makes Nagasaki look like a cake walk_" he added. "_Get going_"

"We're off" Hermione said sadly. "Get everybody in the ship" she ordered, and the others nodded grimly. She tried calling out to Harry, but the connection was broken and would not come back. All of a sudden, there was a terrible explosion that decimated the remaining structure and killed the remaining members of Dumbledore's forces.

"_Two launching_" Hermione heard Ahsoka say as she raced into the cockpit of the _Freedom_.

"Us too" she assured the Togrutan, slapping all of the switches and buttons in her haste to take off. The explosion broke the shield apart and the firestorm swirled around the craft as it lifted off the ground.

"_Punch it, Chewie_!" Ahsoka called.

"_Freedom_ has max thrust" Hermione said. She firewalled the throttle and the ship lifted into the air and away from the firestorm. It rose like a Phoenix and joined Ahsoka's X-Wing orbiting the area. "Nothing could have survived in that heat" she said.

"_Not at that temperature_" Ahsoka said. They flew around for several more minutes, hoping that there would be one more miracle…

"We should get back" said Hermione.

"_Aye_" Ahsoka choked out. "_Aye_" and swung her towards the distant and unseen Hogwarts.

"Bye, Harry…" Hermione said as she swung into position behind Ahsoka, hit the automatic pilot and started the journey home.

"_Are you alright_?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'll be fine…" Hermione replied.

"_I meant the ship_" Hermione looked over to Ahsoka and saw her gazing at the hull of the _Freedom_.

"Everything checks out" she said.

"_We'll have to give you a new lick of paint_" said Ahsoka.

"Harry is going to lov-" Hermione fell silent and remained so unless people asked her a question.

# # # # #

**Before The Explosion**

# # # # #

"I see you know my other name, Mr Potter" Dumbledore said, rising from his throne. "I would award you points, but I am afraid that you are no longer my pupil"

"Too bad" Harry said. "This is all over, Dumbledore. Everybody is either dead, dying or prisoner. I know all about your actions towards my parents"

"Lupin told you?"

"Before I killed him" Harry replied. "Any idea what this is?" Harry asked, bringing the bag into view.

"A bag"

"But with a great content" Harry vanished the bag and showed the bomb off. "Don't try and summon it" he said as Dumbledore raised his wand. "Or try to kill me and then disarm it. There is a version of a dead man's switch, and it will go off the moment you try to kill me"

"That does not matter"

"Either way" Harry shrugged, "I win – yar yar"

"You can not hope to win against me, Harry" Dumbledore said. "Surrender, and I will ensure that you get a clean and merciful death"

"Lets get on with it" Harry said, and the fight began. Several curses came from Dumbledore, forcing Harry to roll to the left and return fire. A Killing Curse grazed his hair and Harry fired back a couple of quick spells designed to take out Dumbledore's wand arm. They fought like caged tigers for what seemed like minutes, and soon it took its toll on Harry. All of the injuries had worn him down before this moment, and now some of the partly healed wounds opened and poured out blood.

"You're tiring" Dumbledore mocked him.

"I was thinking the same" Harry retorted, sending a disarming spell that connected and flung the older Wizard's wand high into the air. A blasting spell took care of it before Harry was flung to the far wall by the force of Dumbledore's attack. The older wizard had a back up wand and used it to bat Harry away from him like killing a fly.

"To think that you could defeat the world's greatest wizard" he said. "Did you think I had no spare wand? Did you not think that I had this all planned?" Dumbledore gloated as Harry dragged himself to a sitting position with one hand behind him. I will give you this, my boy – you were the best that the light had to offer"

"It isn't over yet" said Harry.

"Oh" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "But I think it is. Goodbye, Harry Potter" and raised his spare wand to aim at Harry's chest.

_**BANG**_

The noise echoed though the chamber, the smoke billowed around and made Harry's eyes sting from irritation.

"You… You shot me!" Dumbledore said – almost as an accusation than a fact. His other wand fell out of his hands as he dropped to the ground.

"No shit, Sherlock" Harry said, hauling himself painfully up to his feet and tucking the gun in his jeans belt. "Guess I have won" he added.

"But you can not escape" said Dumbledore. "Even though you beat me, I can still win the war by having you die with me"

"Maybe today is a good day to die" Harry told him, bending down to pick up the bomb. With a slow and deliberate action, he snapped the discarded wand and shoved the bomb into Dumbledore's lap. "You have about a minute and a half before that detonates, and maybe I will go with it – I don't care. I just want to take you with me and ensure the survival of the free world" and he walked to the door in his blood stained clothing. When he reached the door, he stopped and looked over his shoulder as he reached for an object in his pocket – pulling it out and holding it up in the air for Dumbledore to see. "Professor McGonagall once told me that you were gay. Well… blow _this_" and walked off as he pressed the button and blew the wizard to pieces and started the process of destroying what remained. His mirror link barely worked, and he brought it to his mouth. "If anybody is listening to this then I suggest that you get the hell away from here"

"_But you can reach us_" Ahsoka cried.

"I'm trapped in the dungeons" Harry said. "No way of getting out of here before this place makes Nagasaki look like a cake walk" he added. "Get going"

"_We're off_" Hermione said sadly. The glass smashed and Harry was cut off from talking to his fiancées – leaving him alone in a crumbling castle.

"What to do with my remaining last few moments…" Harry said, finding himself standing in the kitchens. He looked at the food that had been abandoned by house elves long since gone and reached out for a plate. "The condemned man deserves a good last meal" he reasoned to himself aloud.

And then the house blew up…

# # # # #

"Hogwarts, this is Hermione Granger speaking. Coming at you from the west. Request urgent medical assistance upon arriving. We have dead, dying and injured aboard. Request presence of Aurors upon arrival due to important prisoners being held by this group. Estimate time of arrival at 08:45"

"_Mione? Are you dumping fuel?_"

"No" Hermione replied. "Why?"

"_I am seeing something leaving the engine areas_" Ahsoka said, dropping back for a better look.

"Fuel state looks good" Hermione said, checking her readouts. "Shit… 'Soka, I'm losing hydraulic fluid from the lines. We must have taken more damage then I thought"

"_Can you make Hogwarts_?"

"Can make Plymouth if ordered" Hermione said grimly. "I'm losing oil as well" she added in response to a series of alarms that were triggered.

"_Just last another few minutes, Mione. We've already lost a lot this day_"

"Roger that" Hermione replied quietly.

# # # # #

When they had reached Hogwarts and landed, chaos seemed to reign as elves came and went with the worst cases of the injured.

"Where is Mr Potter?" asked an angry and confused McGonagall. "Is he with you?" but Ahsoka and Hermione shook their heads.

"He's… staying behind, Professor" said Hermione.

"For how long?"

"A very long time" Ahsoka said, and then walked away with Hermione.

#

"Professor McGonagall?" Fudge looked at the face in his fireplace inside his Ministry office. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

"I have something to tell you" the face said. Fudge noticed that it looked tired, worn out and had the air of somebody who had been given a most terrible shock.

"Whatever it is, could you please make it quick?" he said to her. "We've been trying to work out the source of a huge amount of magic used"

"Minister" McGonagall began, "I have to inform you that last night…"

# # # # #

"I can not believe that he is really gone…" Hermione said as she stood with Ahsoka looking over the side of the lake from their suite.

"Part of me still thinks that he will return" the other girl admitted. "But you saw that firestorm as well as I did – nothing could have survived that" Ahsoka added.

"He must have known that whoever won that fight was not getting out" Hermione said, turning away from the window and walking away to the door. Before she reached it, the door opened and allowed Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati and Padma in.

"Professor McGonagall asked us to give these to you" Dean handed over a small folder containing pictures of the battle site. Where there had once been a large structure, there was now only a blackened and hard baked soil – mixed with some type of glass. The pair went over the pictures closely, but could not find a single sign of Harry's X-Wing anywhere, and they assumed it had been destroyed by the fire and the last, great explosion that obliterated everything.

"Thanks…" Ahsoka said.

"There is more" said Lavender. "She told us that the school is going to close. Nobody knows when it will reopen again"

"Who said that?" Hermione frowned.

"The orders came from the Minister" Seamus said.

"What about the wounded?" Ahsoka asked them. "There are a good many that are unable to be moved because of their injuries"

"McGonagall is allowed to keep the lights on for them, but that is all she is authorised to do" said Parvati. "He hopes that if Hogwarts is shut down for a while, they may be little to no reprisal attacks for Dumbledore's death"

"About Harry…" her twin said. "If there is anything that I can do to help you in _any_ way – just tell me"

"Unless you can get me a Time Turner" Hermione started to reply, but her heart just wasn't in it anymore. "I'm going to find myself a pot of strong tea – let me know when this nightmare is over…" and walked out of the room.

"You know" Seamus said, "All things being equal, I think Hermione is taking Harry's death rather well"

# # # # #

A long time later, and a bloody and battered body came back to life and coughed as dust entered its lungs. Harry could feel the pain in his legs, and decided that pain was a good thing. The deceased rarely spoke of pain, and so, by process of elimination, Harry was not dead.

"What have we got…?" he asked as he touched his wand and lit the end of it with a powerful _Lumos_. He was in the kitchen, or least where it should have been. Splinters of wood that may have been a table were piled in one corner, but the rock had melted and then cooled to form a cave of sorts. Another spell informed him that he was about twenty to thirty feet under the ground, and that he had around five hours of oxygen remaining. "So I cheat explosions to die from suffocating?" Harry decided that this was a bad idea. This thought was seconded by his legs, approved by his back and a steering committee formed by parts of his brain. An attempt to call Dobby failed to produce results, and he concluded that the huge level of background magic from the battle and the explosion prevented the elf from hearing him. "Guess I'll have to tunnel out" Harry said, finding the most secure part of the cave wall and starting to carefully carve out an opening for him to climb to the surface. If he could reach it, he could cast some spell that would be detected – _Avarda Kedavra_ seemed a fairly good one. The Ministry tracked all users of that spell, but Harry was not to know that the magic level was blocking all attempts to trace him magically. And after reports from the survivors of the battle, Harry was not expected to be alive after what had happened.

# # # # #

To McGonagall's surprise, many of the older students refused to leave the castle until the wounded had been evacuated to St Mungos. Over the next few hours, as names of the dead were collected, the school played host to many scenes of grief as loved ones were found in the great hall – turned into a temporary morgue.

"I got you something" said Ahsoka, handing Hermione a mug of tea.

"Don't want to go on" the other girl replied. "I can't go on without Harry"

"We're going to have to" said Ahsoka. "I just came from talking to Susan. Her Aunt has been found amongst those people we freed from Dumbledore"

"How is she?"

"She's in a bad way, but nothing that Madam Pomfrey can not start to fix in a few days" Ahsoka wrapped an arm around Hermione and the two girls looked out over the grounds to see wizards and witches coming and going from the school.

# # # # #

It was slow going, very tiring and Harry did wonder if he ever would be getting out of the ruins of Dumbledore's place. The explosion and the effects of it on magic had produced some interesting results. From time to time, he would find a brilliant black glass like material where the underground part of the complex had been. There was another problem he came upon as he got on with his digging attempt. Because he was so drained from the fighting and the injuries, there was next to nothing left for his core to expend on the digging spells. Harry was using _Diffindo_ because _Bombarda_ would have finished him off in one go – though he did wonder if it would be a much better idea to actually be dead. With no hole other than the one he was digging, the breath he exhaled was collecting in dangerous amounts in the tunnel. With no let up or pause in the actual spell casting, Harry's magical core was draining his body of life – though he didn't realise this at first. When he _did_, Harry thought he should keep going as long as possible so that he could reach the surface and have a long rest before deciding what to do next. It would also get him out of the clouds of carbon dioxide that had formed in the cold earth tunnel like miniature fog banks.

"I'm getting sick and tired of this!" Harry said – many emotions lacing and intertwining his words. This had the effect of additional power to the spell, and he blasted the last twenty feet away in a single wave. The cold air from outside flooded down and Harry scrambled out and into the darkness – lying on his back and gulping in great lungfuls of fresh air. He didn't move for several hours as the exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep. When he did wake up, his depleted magical core directed his energies towards rebuilding his abused body. This was bad because the core was draining his body of life so that it could rebuild his body. Looking towards where the castle should have been – he could only see a giant crater in the ground. Large hill sized mounds of ash signalled where Giants and Trolls had been incinerated. Of the others involved in the battle, there was not a single trace to be found anywhere. As his head flopped back round to looked the other way, Harry could make out a something in the inky blackness of the night. Crawling slowly and painfully on his stomach, he inched towards it to find the pounded, twisted and wreck of his X-Wing. All of the paintwork had been burnt off, the nose was badly damaged, the cockpit was holed and it looked like a child had thrown it into a wall after burning it with a hot blast furnace. The hull plates around the engines spaces were half gone, and Harry could see the faint reflection of metal inside the practically destroyed ship. Knowing that there was a medical kit inside it, Harry ignored the searing pain from his entire body and managed to get inside the cockpit and administer some drugs. The morphine took the pain away, but it also knocked him out for another hour.

_Beep Beep Beep Beep_

The noise awoke him and Harry saw that one small panel in the cockpit was working. He must have caught it whilst asleep. He peered at it through his exhausted and drug addled mind to work out what it was saying. After the third attempt, he realised it was telling him that the engines were working, but only at half power and that the ship required a lot of repair work doing to it. Hunting around the medical bag, he took a whole vial of Wide Awake before giving himself another does of morphine. After that, Harry was able to coax the engines to life and take off in the general direction of Hogwarts. All he actually had was the one small panel telling him the extent of the damage. He had no other cockpit screens working, the canopy was shattered and gone, his seat was half smashed and he only had two straps to hold himself in with. With no computer control to aid him, he was forced to fly the several hundred miles completely on his own. After the first few minutes, Harry decided that he would never reach Hogwarts as he was, and so came up with the idea of flying up the west coast until he came to the Scottish lochs – turning eastwards and hoping to come across Hogwarts somehow. The only other thing that was working was the ship's oxygen bottles that had come through with just a few dints in their outer casings. Harry had discovered that the oxygen he thought was clean and fresh was making him feel sicker and sicker as time went on. As the shattered craft inched on, he wondered if he was even going to make it…

#

"Miss Granger. Miss Tano. Neither of you two have to stay here" McGonagall said.

"We have no place else to go" Ahsoka said.

"What about home?"

"Hardly likely in my case, Professor"

"Or mine…" Hermione said. "Wherever Harry is – that is my home" she glanced out of a window. "Getting light outside… I'm going out" and left with Ahsoka following close behind.

"Where are you going?" McGonagall asked.

"There and back to see how far it is" Hermione replied angrily, and slammed the door shut – making Ahsoka smash into it.

#

"Nearly there…" Harry said to the ruined ship. He had found the lochs and turned inland and flew over them. Keeping to them was a good idea as he could ditch in one if he lost control of the X-Wing. As he looked over the twisted nose at the horizon, he saw the sun begin to rise.

#

"I know he is dead" said Hermione, "But I cant help but imagine him to walk over here"

"He will have passed on to the afterlife" said Ahsoka – standing by the edge of the lake under the oak tree.

"Harry always wondered what heaven would be like" Hermione smiled weakly. "I guess he knows now" she added.

"Yes…" Ahsoka agreed. "Just about sunrise" she added.

"Harry loved those" Hermione said. "If he was up in time"

"Do you think the sun rises in heaven?" asked Ahsoka. "Even for late risers like him?"

"Yes, I do, actually" Hermione replied. "I think heaven is a place that the sun doesn't come up until you are ready" she watched as a far away bird dipped and then gain altitude as it came towards them.

"Do you think he will be with his parents?" Ahsoka asked. A low rumbling and roar was coming towards them from the rapidly approaching bird.

"_No_…"Hermione whispered.

"Oh?" Ahsoka was surprised by the reply. She thought Hermione would have agreed with her thoughts, but clearly the other girl was thinking otherwise.

"I think he's here with us" Hermione explained. The Togrutan wondered if Hermione would understand Harry wasn't coming back at all.

"So long as we remember him" she nodded slowly in agreement.

"Actually" Hermione said, "I mean that he is _here_" pointing at the X-Wing as it came over the hills past Hogsmeade. People heard the rumbling and the roar and came out into the grounds from the school to see what the situation was. They all watched as the X-Wing flew over the village and into the school's warded area. As it flew overhead, Hermione, Ahsoka and others could see the immense damage taken by the craft. They assumed that all of it had been caused by explosion and the fighting, but they were, in fact, quite a bit wrong. Huge sections of hull plating were completely missing, parts were missing and it was trailing fire and smoke in a very bad way. As it flew over them, the observers from the ground could see that two of the engines were missing. It kept going towards the castle – almost hitting it before it seemed to jerk upwards like a puppet on a string – clearing the Astronomy tower by inches. It flew well clear of the castle, almost to the other side of the grounds, rolled to the left, slowed down and started flying at a controlled pace.

"Is he trying to find a place to land?" asked Parvati.

"What _is_ he doing?" asked Ahsoka, watching the X-Wing make its way around the grounds with the S-Foils in attack position. As she watched, Hermione suddenly had an image in her mind of people from the 1920's running along a beach with an electronic orchestral piece of music playing in the background.

"I don't believe he is doing that" she shook her head as the ship made yet another turn so it began an inbound run to the castle.

"What?" asked Ahsoka.

"He's doing a Vangelis Manoeuvre"

"_A what?_"

"I'll tell you later" Hermione said to her. It looked as if Harry was going to ram the castle, but, as it clawed its way painfully over the castle, the X-Wing did a victory roll – shedding more pieces of the hull off. Before anybody could another word, the craft suddenly pitched forwards and dived towards the ground – hitting it with a tremendous crash, wallop and bang. People ran from all over around the castle to where the craft had come down, but were kept back by the amount of smoke and the heat from the fires. Small explosions kept even the bravest away from the devastated ship.

"He made it all this way for nothing…" Lavender said.

"It isn't fair!" Hermione said – tears clouding her vision.

"Wait!" Ahsoka said, pointing into the thick smoke. "Look!" and a shadowy figure emerged from it to reveal a battered, bruised and almost dead Harry. Under the arm that had bone sticking out from the skin he had his helmet tucked close to him. His other hand held an object in his mouth as he staggered towards them – leaving a bloody trail behind himself. A noise caught her attention, and she tried to think what it could be."Wait… Is he doing what I think he is?"

"He's singing!" Hermione said, and he was.

"Those magnificent men in their flying machines… they go up diddley up up, they go down diddley down down…" he whistled some more of the tune. "They enchant all the ladies and steal all the scenes, with their go up diddley up up, they go down diddley down down. Up, down, flying around. Looping the loop and defying the ground. Their all frightfully keen, those magnificent men in their flying machines" he came to stop near McGonagall, Hermione and Ahsoka. "I think you might to get some gardeners in – somebody has put in a few holes that I am sure were not there last time I looked" he said – face contorting with some pain.

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that a cigar you're smoking?" she asked.

"No – it's a chicken" he said, then looked at his fiancées. "Had to light this on the burning fuel" he said, jerking his head backwards towards the burning hulk of the X-Wing. "Know what's funny?" he asked them.

"What?" asked Ahsoka.

"I thought one of these things would kill me" then slumped forwards – revealing the piece of metal sticking out of his back.

**A/N:**

**If anybody does not know of it, the runnign down the beach Hermioen thinks of, and the named manoeuvre, are nods of the head to Chariots of Fire - which I was watching at 1am in the morning and overdosed on cheese and green tea and lemon. The famous piece of music is simply known as Titles rather then actually called by the name of the film.**

**Harry walking away out of the smoke with a lit cigar, and mentioning he thought a cigar would have killed him, is a nod to Independance Day.**

**The exchange between him and McGonagall about that is a nod to the Sci-Fi comedy show Red Dwarf (the line is from the pilot episode)**

**Chapter 20 is being written, but I am taking a few days slowly because A) I have a life, believe it or not, B) Listenign to spy traffic and C) I am the author and I am doing it anyway.**

**Regards**

**Robert**

**aka**

**Pixel and Stephanie Forever**


	20. The Day The Walls Came Down…

**The Day The Walls Came Down…**

_**WARNING… THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME THINGS THAT SOME READERS MAY OBJECT OR HAVE STRONG FEELINGS TO. CHILD ABUSE IS MENTIONED IN THE CHAPTER BELOW. IF YOU GO PAST THIS WARNING, IT IS YOUR CHOICE – I HAVE WARNED YOU.**_

"For the last time, Miss Granger, I insist that you leave" Pomfrey said. Harry was lying on a makeshift operating table in an unused Charms classroom. A team of the very best had arrived minutes earlier from St Mungos to remove the metal from Harry's back. Because of where it lay, just taking it out with magic was not of any good to Harry – they'd do it like muggles.

"You'll have to get Aurors to take us away from here" Hermione said. Pomfrey looked to the squad nearby, but they looked at Ahsoka and Hermione, summed up the situation and kept their hands in full sight at all times.

"What are you going to do?" asked Ahsoka.

"We have placed him under a heavy sedation so that he should not wake up during the operation" Pomfrey said. "We're going to cut an area of skin before going through the layers of tissue to get at the piece. We're taking it out in one go as we don't know how long it is, and it is less dangerous to do so. We think it might have grazed the spinal column when it entered Mr Potter's back – we can't be certain, however" she added.

"Why not?" asked Ahsoka.

"We tried taking scans of Mr Potter's injury, but his core just sucked all the power out of the spells we used. It is like his entire magical core was used to keep him alive during whatever he went though. His very life was being sucked out in order to keep him doing whatever he was doing" Pomfrey told them.

"So what happens if it has done that?" Hermione asked, mentally going over spinal injuries in her mind.

"If it has grazed it, there may be some temporary paralysis which will go over the course of time" Pomfrey said, checking all escape routes from Hermione's wand.

"And what is the worst cast scenario?" Ahsoka pressed the witch.

"The worst case scenario is that Mr Potter may never be able to walk again" Pomfrey saw Hermione tighten the grip she had on her wand. "He would be confined to a wheelchair or medical type of flying carpet for the rest of his life. If there is yet more damage done to his body, he may not even wake up from the coma he is in"

"But he walked towards us!" Hermione protested. "He spoke to us" and some accidental magic caused Pomfrey to sprout pink wings on her back, and both her breasts to turn a bright shade of violet.

"When one is determined to do something, it is possible for the brain to ignore all of the damage it is detecting to itself and the rest of the body. From all accounts, Mr Potter simply wanted to get home to his loved ones"

"Well get started" Ahsoka said.

"There is one small problem. Only his next of kin can give the permission for us to proceed. I would ask his Head of Family, but he is one and the same"

"Well _I'm_ telling you to do it" said Hermione.

"I am afraid that you can not" said Pomfrey.

"We'll just take out the part that is sticking out of his back for now" said one of the Healers.

"But you can take it out?" Ahsoka asked, and the Healer nodded. "Madam Pomfrey, I'm telling you to do so"

"Despite the feelings you have for Mr Potter, I must await an order from the Ministry"

"To hell with this…" Hermione withdrew her wand. "You're relieved"

"Excuse me?" blinked the older witch.

"If you refuse to treat Harry, then it is clear you should no longer be practicing your craft here" she reached out and plucked the wand from the nurse's apron pocket.

"Guys!" Ahsoka called, and their uninjured friends came around the corner with wands out. "Madam Pomfrey has refused to treat Harry. She's been relieved of her duties – lock her in the office please" and they 'escorted' her into the office and guarded her.

"Take" Hermione said, "It. Out. Or. Heads. Will. Roll" she said, allowing wisps of magic to dance around her head.

"We will only take out the piece that is sticking out for now" said the lead Healer. "But the rest will come out this afternoon" she added quickly. "We have to allow Mr Potter to regain some of his magical core before removing the unseen part. It will also allow us to get a better idea of what we can and can not do to his body"

"Oh" said Ahsoka, almost lazily, "I'll tell you all you need"

#

When Fudge arrived with several Aurors to speak to those involved in the assault, he was surprised and confused by the craft parked, or scattered in Harry's case, on the grass around the castle. He was met by Sprout who took him to see McGonagall in her office.

"What is the latest on Mr Potter?" he asked.

"They have managed to cut off some of the metal, but he started to go into an uncontrollable fit of magic outburst" McGonagall said. Fudge just blinked at that news – it was never a good sign.

"What is his situation?"

"Poppy Pomfrey says his condition is stable for now. However" McGonagall continued, "Some of the metal caused more damage to him. Because of the swelling to most parts of his body they have been able to get clear scans of where the remaining fragment is at the moment. It was brushing his spine when they last knew for certain. They think that he might be paralysed for the rest of his life – assuming his spine was damaged beyond repair" and it took Fudge a second to make up his mind.

"You tell me what he needs, and I can have it got it within an hour" the Minister said. "I would like to speak to Miss Granger and Miss Tano. I presume they are in the Hospital Wing?" and McGonagall shook her head.

"They are sleeping in their suite at the moment" she said. "Dobby!" and an elf appeared out of thin air.

"Dobby be called by Mistress Catty?"

"I would like you to go to the Gryffindor suite and awake Miss Granger and Miss Tano. Please inform them that the Minister would like very much to see them" McGonagall said.

"Dobby be doing what is asked" and the elf popped away – only to come back several seconds later. He looked to Fudge, seemed to think of something and spoke. "Fuck off and go away" he said.

"WHAT?" Fudge exclaimed.

"Explain yourself" McGonagall demanded.

"Dobby only be doing what he be told. Mistress Soakie tell Dobby that Minister be fuck off and go away. Mistress Grangy said same thing"

"Guess they are not with it" McGonagall said. "Would you bring us some tea, Dobby?"

#

"What will you be doing after this?" asked Pansy. She was talking to Daphne and her sister, Astoria.

"I will spend some time in the south of France on holiday" Daphne replied. "After that, I will be returning to Hogwarts to complete my education" she added.

"I would have thought your parents would not want that" Pansy said.

"Well they don't have much of a say now…" Daphne's parents had been found wearing full Death Eater garb during the fight.

"Daph… I'm sorry fo-"

"Don't be" Daphne said. "We're both fine with the situation. They made their choice and we made ours"

"You've got enough to get you through the year, right?" and Astoria shrugged.

"We had a look in the vaults after Daphne got control of them" she said. "There wasn't much inside them. We've got a few hundred Galleons, but that is going to go on the things we need over the next year and a bit"

"Rumour is that every person who went on that expedition is going to get a serious amount of money for it" Pansy said.

"At least that will pay off the debts our mother and father left to us" said Daphne. "Even if we sold off everything that we could do without, we'd still be several hundred thousand in the red"

"Then how are you going to pay off the debts and still pay your way through school?" Pansy asked.

"By selling off a couple of our holiday homes in France, Italy and Russia" Astoria replied. "We should be able to pay off just about half. The family's creditors can not touch our trust accounts, so at least they are safe from being drained of the money"

"If there is anything that I can do" said Pansy, "You just give me a call and I'll see what I can do"

"Thanks, but we'll get ourselves out of this" said Daphne. "Have you any news of Harry? Last we saw was him being carried to the Hospital Wing"

"I've heard that he is very close to death" Pansy replied somewhat quietly.

"Anything that we can do?"

"Not unless you've more blood"

"Cant they give him some replenishers?" asked Daphne.

"Seems that he has developed an allergy to them" Pansy said. "Its rare, but it does happen in some cases" she added.

"Isn't there anything that they can do?" asked Astoria.

"They are looking through every potions book here and at the Ministry to see if there is a version they can make without the Hemlock extract" Pansy said. "They are going to have to hope Harry gets through this" the girl added.

"It's a pity we can't give him some of ours" said Astoria. "But it would contain our magic and that would fight his and kill him" and Pansy smiled, stood up and left the Slytherin common room to find a Muggleborn or a half blood.

"Was it something I said?" asked Daphne's sister as they set off after her.

# # # # #

"Is that even possible?" asked McGonagall.

"We could certainly extract a small amount of blood from a person" said Pomfrey – now released from her office prison after promising to 'be good'.

"But what about the magic contained in the blood?" Fudge asked.

"We think that we can filter that out of the stuff we collect" said Hermione. "When Harry is operated on again, we will have a plentiful supply of the stuff"

"And how do you propose to collect the blood?" McGonagall asked.

"Minister, we need to go on the wireless" said Ahsoka.

#

When the news went out, people flocked to Hogwarts in their hundreds. The line of people willing to give up their blood was so long that it went all the way from the Hospital Wing to the Great Hall.

Even House Elves and Goblins could be spotted in the line.

#

"We have managed to collect twenty pints of the stuff" said Hermione, later that evening.

"That much?" Fudge was surprised.

"That is as much as we dared take" said Pomfrey. "Mr Potter's blood type is Type O- and that is extremely rare indeed"

"When the team of Healers start to operate on Harry, they will use the blood to replace the stuff he lost during the battle and from the operation himself" Ahsoka said.

"How we will we know if Mr Potter's mind is intact?" asked McGonagall. It had been a serious concern after everything that he had been through.

"That will lie in the hands of our resident nut job" said Hermione.

"Thank you for the most kind introduction, Hermione Granger" Luna said.

"Is it?" Sprout frowned.

"My very dear Professor" Luna said to her, "I've been called worse"

#

It wasn't until early the next morning that the filtering had been completed, and Hermione and Ahsoka rested a little easier in knowing that Harry would be on the road to recovery.

"I wonder what he is thinking of" Ahsoka said, looking at Harry's drugged body.

"We may never know" Hermione said. "Though we can try to ask Luna to find out for us" she added with a small smile. "You know that Fudge wants to award medals to everyone that went out and finished Dumbledore off?" and Ahsoka nodded.

"He wanted to give Harry one, but he has decided that we should take it when he gives them out" she said. "Maybe it is for the best – he would have hated it all" and Hermione agreed.

"Harry would have liked to see us in our dresses"

"Harry would have liked to see us _out of_ our dresses" Hermione pointed out. "I just wished that there was something that I could do to help speed his recovery. To think that a week now seems so much of a long time…"

"Sometimes I wonder what he is doing inside his mind" Ahsoka said. "All I get is a sleeping sensation from him. Luna just got an empty house with nobody in there" she added.

"That is bad"

"Mmm" Ahsoka nodded, leading the way out of the hospital wing.

"What I mean is that Mind Healers only get that when a person is brain dead. We know that Harry clearly isn't because he managed to fly his crippled ship home. We can also discount that he simply will not give in to anything at all" Hermione said.

"Perhaps his magical core is adapting to changes now that Dumbledore is no more" Ahsoka said. "You'd know more about that then I" and Hermione agreed.

"Perhaps he'll wake up in an hour from now. Perhaps he'll wake up in days, weeks or months from now. There is, however" she changed tacks after seeing something ahead of her, "The small question of what those two are up to" and the pair of them stopped to see Dobby giving Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet, a good seeing to.

#

"Professor" said Ahsoka, "We'd like a double of what you're drinking"

"Out of the question"

"But we were walking down a corridor and saw…" Hermione explained.

"Enough said" McGonagall filled two glasses with scotch and pushed them over the desk.

#

"Why will he not wake up?" asked Hermione. It had been several days since the second operation to remove the remaining fragments from Harry's back, but he had not woken up for a single moment. According to all of the tests, Harry was merely sleeping as soundly as one would do so at night.

"If he does not wake by this evening, then we shall take steps to have him woken by force" Pomfrey said.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ahsoka asked.

"Perhaps, but I think we need to try it" the nurse said. "I believe that you two have a ceremony to attend" she pointed out.

"I wonder if it is too late to pull out of this" Hermione muttered.

# # # # #

"Miss Granger. Miss Tano" their escort waited for them to step away from the Floo network. "The Minister has asked me to escort to you to the ceremony. However, he would like to meet with both of you in his office before hand" and the pair nodded before following the Auror to the lifts at the end of the atrium.

"Miss Granger. Miss Tano. I am pleased to meet you after all that has happened" Fudge said as he welcomed them into his office. "I regret not being able to speak to Mr Potter and apologise for my behaviour earlier. How is he at the moment?" and both girls sat down.

"He is recovering, Minister" Ahsoka said. "The medical teams have been a great help, and most of Harry's injuries have been healed. The only problem is that he is unable, or unwilling, somehow to awaken"

"Is that serious?" the Minister asked them.

"It can be, but we are hoping for the best" Hermione said. "It might be that Harry is in such a deep sleep that he needs a little help from a spell or potion"

"Mmm…" Fudge said. "As you know, I am awarding medals of various types to those who took part in your little 'adventure' – including Mr Potter. As he in unable to attend to pick up his own medal, I would like very much for you two to take it instead. People are beginning to wonder where Harry is, so if you could just say a few words and assure everyone that he is still alive…?" and the girls agreed.

"We do have a request regarding the press" said Hermione.

"What is that?"

"Once Harry is awake, we'll be going on a holiday to recover from all of this. We would appreciate it very much if certain reporters were kept from finding out where we were" Hermione said.

"I presume a certain harpy we both know?" Fudge chuckled. "I'll see what can be done, but I can not promise anything" he added. "I believe that we are going to be a little bit late in our attendance if we are not careful. If you would allow me to escort you ladies…"

#

Harry woke at that moment – startling Dobby whom had been sitting by his bedside since Hermione and Ahsoka had left. He had been unable to awaken fully for some time, though he had been able to understand what was going on around him. He thought it not unlike a type of Locked In Syndrome he had read all about some time ago.

"What is going on?" he asked Dobby.

"Headmistress broke school up early" the elf said. "Everyone getting awards from the head sweet man" and Harry assumed that he meant Fudge.

"Where are Ahsoka and Hermione?" he asked.

"Ministry. They be receiving medals and everything" the elf replied.

"Guess I'd better go to see them" Harry said, noting Pomfrey sat in her office asleep. "Can you take me there?" he asked.

"Dobby be taking you" the elf gave Harry his clothes – the same ones he had been wearing that day of the attack. When he had been told to do nothing towards Harry but help him to the hospital wing, Dobby had taken that to mean not to mend or replace his clothing – but merely stored them in the cabinet which was beside the bed. Creeping to the office, Harry wrote a note and placed it on the bed for Pomfrey to find.

_Dear Madam Pomfrey._

_Decided to go for a walk. I will be back soon_

_Love_

_Harry Potter_

#

The guard on the atrium was bored with his duty, and he looked at his watch to see that he had another hour and a half to go. A small pop alerted him to an arrival, and he looked up to see a battered person walking up to him with some pretty nasty scars on his face, arms and chest.

"Could you tell me where to go for the ceremony? It seems I am invited to it" Harry said.

"Do you have an invitation?" asked the Auror.

"No. I haven't got one, but I can tell you that I was invited by the Minister a few days ago"

"Right…" the Auror was sizing Harry up – not knowing it was him. "What is your name?"

"Harry Potter"

"Oh? I'm the Queen of Spain" the Auror replied. "Clear off"

"I _am_ Harry Potter, you idiot" Harry shook his head.

"Give me your wand to check"

"I am afraid that my wand has been taken from me for safe keeping. I was under medical care, and the Healers attending to me thought it most ideal" Harry replied.

"Unless you have a way to prove who you really are, then I am afraid that you are going to have to leave at once" the Auror said smugly.

"Send a message to the ceremony to Hermione Granger or Ahsoka Tano. They will vouch for my identity"

"Except you could be under Polyjuice" the Auror said, pointing his wand at Harry. "Keep your hands where I can see them" he added.

"Oh to hell with this" Harry put a hand around his back.

"You asked for it. _Stup-_"

_Snap_

The Auror was cut off by the simple, but effective, method of having Harry's wand pointing directly between his eyes. At such a small distance, the Auror could see that power glowing at the wand's tip..

"This do you?" Harry asked the man. The Auror nodded numbly, and made no move to stop him when he removed his wand and placed it on the desk. "Which way?"

"Down the corridor – bottom of the stairs" the Auror said quietly – pointing down a long corridor.

"Thank you very much" Harry replaced his wand before walking off down the way indicated.

#

"… the last award" Fudge said. "Normally we would ask for the person to come up, but Harry Potter is still recovering from injuries sustained in battle with Albus Dumbledore. Therefore, as he can not attend, Miss Granger and Miss Tano will-"

"Stay where they are" a voice said from the back of them room – making them all turn to see Harry limping up the middle of the crowds of people. "Sorry I am late, but I seem to have overslept" and that got a few laughs.

"I thought you were in some kind of magical coma" Fudge said as Harry reached him.

"Nope – just couldn't be bothered" Harry said, seeing Hermione and Ahsoka push through the standing crowd to join him on stage.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"Does Pomfrey know you are here?" Ahsoka questioned him.

"Well, you two, it goes like this. I woke up, had a look around, saw what was on offer and decided that the institute had nothing more to offer me – so I checked out" Harry gave them both huge hugs and kisses. "Didn't think I would be here to see you again" he admitted. "I just had an urge to be by your sides" Harry added.

"Oh?" Hermione frowned. Was Harry's magic getting tied to theirs a little – like telepathy?

"I was thinking that as well" Harry told her.

"Did you just read my mind?" Hermione gasped.

"Mione, I have always been able to read your mind. Been doing it for years…"

"I was going to give you this medal and a sword, Mr Potter" Fudge said. "They are gifts to honour you" he said, placing the medal around Harry's neck and handing him a gold sword with a large ruby the size of a duck's egg at the top of the hilt. The scabbard was decorated with smaller gems and other precious stones. Harry looked at the medal around his neck – followed by the sword with shone like a small sun from all the light reflecting off it.

"The greatest gift and honour, Minister" he said at last, "Is having them as my fiancés" he put an arm around the waists of each of his girls.

"Excuse me?" Fudge and most of the others blinked.

"You don't meet girls like _this_ every dynasty" Harry said.

"I understand" Fudge said in a whisper. "Mr Potter, we were about to start on the funeral and memorial services for those that died during the battle. Because of what has happened to you, nobody would think ill of you not attending them" but Harry shook his head slowly.

"I understand that a speech was wanted of me" he said. "Give me but ten minutes, and I shall give you that speech" and Fudge hesitated before agreeing.

#

"Although I have never attended a ceremony like this before, I understand that it is custom to make a speech" Harry looked at the room – even more packed after the entire press had sent representatives to hear what he had to say. "I have no written down speech to speak, and nor do I have any instructions on what to say. I defeated Albus Dumbledore… _We_ defeated Albus Dumbledore. I would much rather not say this to anybody, but I know that it must be said. Before I begin to say my piece, I want to say that I will not be taking any questions during the speech or after it. I am certain that you will have all that you require from me after this has taken place" and Harry looked at the people from the wireless networks. When news had gotten round that Harry Potter was going to say something, it was decided to broadcast it on all frequencies for all the stations – even the sports ones were covering. After all, as Harry said, he would only say this once. A large machine, like an oversized Pensieve would record him visually and audibly for history. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, we are" they all replied.

"The story I am about to tell you is not a fiction – it is a truth. I would rather this story not be told until after my death, but I know that this has to be said so that we know the depths one man can go to. I start back when Albus Dumbledore lived with his family in Godric's Hollow. He mixed with a number of important and prominent members of magical society who argued that Muggles were going to find ways to enslave all magical folk and creatures alike. They argued that magic was supreme and should rule over Muggles. Dumbledore agreed with them when they said that Muggle born children and those with Muggles as one of their parents were nothing more than mud in magical bloodlines – Mudbloods. His closest friend in this group was a wizard by the name of Gilbert Grindlewold. They plotted to seize the Ministry and then the Muggle world as a whole. What is not known about them is that they were also lovers. One day, after Dumbledore's mother had died, the pair of them argued so much that Dumbledore's sister, Ariana, was supposedly killed during the struggle. What happened was that she was put under very old and powerful spells and enchantments and kept in a deep, dark vault at Gringotts. My fiancées and myself discovered her still there under a time compression spell several months ago. She was ill, badly treated but survived because we got her out of there in a hurry. Grindlewold and Dumbledore argued for over a decade – ending in a battle that Muggles call World War 1. After that failed, Dumbledore released a poison to the Muggle world – killing more then in the war.

For the next twenty one years, Dumbledore and Grindlewold tried to kill the other – ending up in World War 2. Grindlewold was following his beliefs, but Dumbledore was following those and also stopping his former lover from exposing him for what he really was – a murderer, a liar and a thief. Most of the other people Dumbledore had associated with has 'accidents' and died – leaving Dumbledore to mess with the Muggles for as long as he liked. For the next four decades he created wars around the globe – all for his sick entertainment. Whilst he was doing this, he created the legend of Tom Riddle – a Dark Lord. I tell all of those people listening to this broadcast, and those that are to read it, that Dumbledore and Riddle were one and the same. Didn't anybody find it strange that Riddle was only seen in public whenever Dumbledore appeared? For over fifteen years, he created and ran a force of truly evil wizards and witches known as Death Eaters. To combat this, he supposedly set up an Army of Light – those dedicated to freedom for all. Previous Ministry administrations suspected that Dumbledore was up to something, and they had people go in and try to discover what happened during the meetings. These people normally ended up being posted to their families in small packages or found mutilated in some public place. Dumbledore created a level of fear. He made it out that Muggles were to blame – as well as the Death Eaters. In the summer of 1980, the Ministry sent several of its best Agents in to try and get close to Dumbledore. Those people were Sirius Black and James and Lily Potter. Two people who were supposed to be their friends, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, were recruited by Dumbledore to spy on the three and see if they were spies – as Dumbledore suspected. The year after that, the Potters had all the information they needed, but they never made their report to the Ministry. Both of them were murdered by Dumbledore in cold blood – leaving only their son alive. That son, as you know, was me. To cover his tracks, he destroyed the house using Dark Magic and mutilated their bodies – having Rubeus Hagrid take me away to my Muggle relatives. During this period, Sirius Black was supposed to have killed Pettigrew and a number of muggles as well. I want you all to know, here and now for all time, that Sirius never did any of that. He was captured by people loyal to Dumbledore, put under a compulsion charm and made to do those things. All except for the killing of Pettigrew, that is. Of course, everyone believed Dumbledore when he said that he had the killer in his custody, and the Ministry at the time was only too happy to put him away for killing dozens – including two war heroes. Sirius Black died in the attack on the Ministry a year ago to this very day, so I believe, without the decency of his good name.

_**CAUTION: THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE BEFORE THE BAD STUFF COMES UP. GO BEYOND AT YOUR OWN PERIL**_

We come now to what I think is that hardest part of my tale. This is something that I have never told anybody about. Not even my fiancées know what I am about to tell you all. This will show the depths of evil that some people can go to – Magical and Muggles alike. This will disgust and sicken people, but I make no apologies for what I am about to say. This needs to be said, and it needs to be said now. As I mentioned a few moments ago, I was placed with my relatives, the Dursleys, whom are all Muggles. For the next ten years, I was physically and mentally abused by them. It was like a sport to them. Indeed, Dudley, my cousin, came up with the sport of 'Harry Hunting' to pass with his many friends – all bullies like himself. I was made to be their slave – doing most of the chores around the house from an early age. I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until I got my Hogwarts letter. When I reached the age of five, the Dursleys sent me to Muggle school – beating me almost to death if I became better at anything than my cousin. They would lock me up in a cupboard for days, weeks and months at a time during holidays for no reason other then the fact they hated me for being a reminder of Lilly Potter. My Aunt Petunia was her sister. Still is, I should very well think… I was made to cook them all breakfast – physically abused and scarred if I burned any of it. Usually, it was assaulted with a plank of wood and my hand being placed on the stove for a couple of seconds whilst it was turned on. when I was treated at Muggle hospital for all of my injuries, the Dursleys explained it all as simple clumsiness and some mental health issues. My Uncle would often stub out cigars on my arms, chest, back and my legs. When the Dursleys kicked, punched and damned well nearly killed me, a magical Healer was brought in, took care of my injuries before having their memories wiped and sent away without any idea of what had happened.

What I am going to tell you now is the most sickening part of my childhood. This is the part that I have kept secret from all but myself. Once I reached the age of eight, the abuse reached the very worst level it could. From the age of eight, until I turned thirteen, I was sexually abused and raped by my relatives. During the times that the Dursleys were on holiday, they would leave me with another Aunt, Marjorie Dursley. Not only would she rape me several times a day, she would invite depraved and sick people to her house to do the same. She'd film it often and sell the videos to other paedophiles – that is what my family and those people were. That is the word, and there is no shying away from that. When something called the Internet became popular, she would film me being raped by men and women. She even got paid for the live shows. My body still has internal scars from when objects were inserted into me for the fun of the paying people. If people noticed, I mention the age of thirteen that it ended. After I started Hogwarts, the videos and live rapings included what was called 'fantasy' sessions. 'See a Wizard being buggered by his own wand'… 'Want to ride this boy's broom?'… and other titles picking up on the fact I was a wizard. I would even be dressed in full school uniform for most of them. During a lot of the sessions, I was under some kind of compulsion potion that was put into something I ate or drank. Dumbledore made a number of appearances and took part in some of the actual rapes taped and shown live.

I am sure that a number of you are wondering why I never told anybody about what happened to me. The answer to that is the fact that there was nobody I could turn to. The few times I did, Dumbledore and his followers came round and removed all memories and records of my reports. After the third time, I was told that if I did anything to alert people of what was going on, I would be killed and my body would never be found. At a young age, you can well believe it. It only stopped after several encounters with Dementors left me with the inability to be placed under compulsion spells, charms and potions. The sexual abuse stopped, but the physical and mental stuff kept coming until I was able to get away from my relatives during last summer. I suppose I could have told people once I started Hogwarts, but I was so ashamed of what happened to me over the years that I could never have got the courage to do so. I never dared to tell my friends everything that had happened because I felt ashamed, dirty and a nobody. And, knowing some members of the press as I do, I would have been humiliated on the front cover of newspapers and talked about on the wireless and in public and private. I would have been humiliated around the school. If I had gone to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and said just one millionth of what took place against me, I would have been laughed out of the building. If they had looked into the matter, I might have been killed. Even if I was not, Dumbledore had people in many places to put a stop to it in the DMLE and Healer side of things. Even certain members of Hogwarts' staff, meant to protect and look after the injured were in on it. Look over Dumbledore's letters, and you will see the extent of the power that the bastard inside the Ministry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you might think that all of this abuse has left me with emotional scars, and it did indeed do that. For a couple of years, I couldn't separate real love from the fake love given to me before and during a rape session. The girls in my year in Gryffindor will tell you I would flinch whenever someone gave me a hug. If you were to ask people in my house Quidditch team, they would tell you that I was always careful about not showing any part of my body. Thankfully, I was able to get mostly over that, and I am now in a loving relationship with two girls I know love me for who I really am. When I leave this building in a matter of moments, we will be going on a long break to get over what has happened to me over my entire life. I ask that any communications be sent to my House Elf, Dobby. A record of other things done by Dumbledore to me is waiting for you at your various businesses. Before we do, however, it is my intention to attend the funerals of those that lost their lives paying the ultimate price for freedom. Thank you and good afternoon" and Harry walked out of the hall with Hermione and Ahsoka on either side of him. The people had thought Harry had something simple to say, but what he said was truly earth shattering. Some knew of his hatred for his relatives, but not a single person in the hall knew the true reasons. The fact that Harry had been physically, mentally and sexually abused for five solid years – with the full knowledge and cooperation of highly placed members of the Ministry, respected Healers and important persons shocked everybody to their very cores. Grown men stood with haunted eyes thinking of the boy who had suffered so much in his life and yet had still made the choice to save them all. Aurors who had over thirty years of experience on the force stood sobbing and crying – streams of tears running down from their eyes, dripping off faces and into a small lake by their feet.

"Aurors!" Fudge's shaky voice brought everyone out of their thoughts. A quick look at the clocks in the room showed it had been over half an hour since Harry and his fiancées had left. "I want you to go to Hogwarts and place Poppy Pomfrey under arrest for Child Abuse, Conspiracy to Commit, Failure to Report A Crime… just… just get her arrested. I'll have a team of house elves write up the charges later" and several Aurors left to arrest the resident school nurse. "I want two complete Auror combat teams fully kitted out and ready to go in five minutes. Have a Portkey created to where Mr Potter's relatives live" he continued.

"Where?" asked the senior most Auror in the hall.

"One for Marjorie Dursley" Fudge said. "Kingsley Shaklebolt will lead that one. I want the other for where Mr Potter used to live – I will lead that one myself" and the Aurors looked at him with some surprise – minds still on the revelations that Harry had just disclosed about himself and Dumbledore. It had been some years since Fudge had gone out with a live operation.

"What are our orders?" asked another Auror.

"We take them down"

"And if they try to put up a fight?"

"We take them alive and in one piece" Fudge said. "They are to live for trial" and the Aurors looked disappointed with the orders. "But if they fall down a couple of times, I don't think anyone would object or question it too much" and the Aurors smiled and seemed to cheer up before going to prepare for a full force entry on the Dursley residence.

#

What they found got their anger to impossible levels…

Fudge had found Vernon watching one of the videos that had to contain Harry in it, and a red mist of anger came over the Minister. Forgetting he had the use of his wand, Fudge jumped the overweight man and started raining punches and kicks to one of Harry's abusers. In a matter of seconds, Vernon Dursley was reduced to a lump of bleeding and broken flesh. The Aurors had to stun their own boss in order to save Vernon from being killed there and then. When looking through the house, they found Harry's former cupboard under the stairs bedroom – still with blood on the walls, torn sheeting and discarded clothes. Upstairs, they found evidence of systematic torture with whips, chains, handcuffs and a number of items that tested positive for Harry's magical signature. They tore the house to pieces – finding evidence of all that Harry had spoken about. Records of who had taken part in the abuse over the years were found, along with detailed account books containing money got from the sale of the videos and the internet sessions. Given the scale of things, Fudge had no choice but to inform the Muggle Prime Minister about what had happened and about what they had uncovered. He swung into action at once, and hundreds of men and women were arrested at their work places, in the street, in the parks, in pubs, bars, clubs and every place they were found. It was explained to other Muggles that the arrested people were part of the largest paedophile ring ever discovered in this country.

"Take them to the Ministry, put them in maximum security cells and have them kept awake – suicide watch" Fudge ordered. "Don't have the Dursleys treated until my direct order" he added with large amounts of venom. "The bastards don't deserve it…"


	21. Bokura wa Minna Ikiteiru

**Bokura wa Minna Ikiteiru**

Harry sat in a chair at Grimmauld Place and sobbed and roared his eyes out for nearly seven hours straight – Hermione and Ahsoka not going near him from fear of magical backlash. He had already caused two earthquakes in London from the waves of energy being poured out from his very soul. When he stopped, they gave him a Dreamless Sleep potion so he could rest his tired and worn out body.

"I am going to kill those bastards" said Ahsoka.

"Not before I do" Hermione put in darkly. "There are a few spells I'd like to try out on them…"

"Be careful, Mione. Anger leads to rage, rage leads to the dark side of the force"

"Oh, I'll let them live…" Hermione replied lightly, "But I don't know if they'd be actual people afterwards"

"He is going to need all of the love we can give him to get over this" Ahsoka said. "To think that he had bottled all of this up inside himself for years…" she shook her head in disbelief. She had already admitted to her sister-wife that she had been tempted by a number of dark things she knew, but that was too good for even the likes of them. The Floo flared up and a head poked inside the fireplace.

"_Permission to come through_?" it said.

"Who are you?" asked Hermione.

"_Aurors sent by the Minister_" the head replied.

"Come through one at a time" Ahsoka said, keeping her wand out in one hand and the lightsaber in the other.

"The Minister sent us to guard Mr Potter. He would like to speak to both of you at once" the Auror said. Five Aurors wearing full combat armour stood in the sitting room of the house. "We'll take good care of him whilst you are away"

"You will do better then that" Hermione said. "You will keep him safe"

"That we will, Ma'am" the Auror tilted his head in agreement. "If you permit it, we would like a Medi-Witch to examine him to determine what damage Poppy Pomfrey did to him over the years. As he mentioned having internal scars from what happened during the abuse, we would be better placed to treat those with a full examination"

"Who?" asked Ahsoka.

"Louise Abbott"

"Hannah's mother? I guess she can be trusted. But…" Ahsoka said, "I want someone in with her at all times"

"Of course" said the Auror in charge. "I will be in there myself"

"Well then, I guess we'll go. There is tea in the kitchen. Help yourselves to food if you want any" Hermione said, reaching out to the coatstand and putting on her dragon hide armour.

"After all he said to us, I think we could all do with a stiff drink"

"Third cabinet in the drawing room" Ahsoka said, and followed Hermione into the Floo.

#

"This Pensieve recording is made in the questioning of Poppy Pomfrey, currently Healer at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry" Kingsley Shacklebolt was conducting this one himself. Others were being questioned in other secured and soundproofed rooms at the same time. "Present in the room are the accused and Aurors Kingsley Shaklebolt, William Frost, Endeavour Morse and Henry Crabb. Poppy Pomfrey, the list of charges is too long to be read out on this recording, but do you confirm that you have been read them in front of a member of the Wizendgamot?"

"I do"

"Do you understand the seriousness of these charges?"

"I do"

"How do you plead?"

"Guilty" Pomfrey replied. "But provisionally so" she added quickly.

"So noted" Shaklebolt said for the recording. "Before we begin, I must inform you that you will be asked to submit to another questioning session under the influence of Veritaserum. You have the right to refuse to undergo this, but it may harm your defence when questioned at trial. It will be considered an admission of full and culpable guilt" he said. "Do you agree to submit or not?"

"I agree" Pomfrey said.

"Very well" Kingsley said. "You will be questioned this evening. I will now start the questioning session. Tell me everything you know about your aiding in the abuse of Harry James Potter…"

#

"I wish that I were meeting you again under different circumstances" Fudge said, giving them both a large Firewhiskey.

"As do we" Hermione replied sadly.

"How is Mr Potter?" the Minister asked.

"Hopefully on the mend" said Ahsoka. "What he said brought up a lot of old memories for him, but he was right when he said people needed to know exactly what had taken place over all that time" and Fudge simply nodded.

"I asked you both here to go over the details for the funerals" he said. "A number of families have asked for private services, but have understood Mr Potter's desire to attend with yourselves. The others have also asked with less public services, but have consented to a public memorial to be held at Hogwarts"

"What date?" asked Ahsoka asked.

"The service will be in a fortnight's time" Fudge replied. "Some of the families are Muggles and we're working on ways for them to be in attendance. I have also pledged that any of their children who turn out to be magical can attend Hogwarts at the Ministry's expense" and he noticed the horrified expression on Hermione's face. "Miss Granger?"

"I just remembered – we never got Harry's X-Wing insured" Hermione told Fudge who couldn't help but laugh.

"There was another matter I wished to discuss with the pair of you" he said after a while. "I understand that you are engaged to be married"

"That is correct" Ahsoka said. "We are…" she looked at Hermione for help.

"Hand-fasted"

"Thank you. We're Hand-fasted to each other, but we wish to get the full way and get officially married"

"That is what I wished to discuss with you" Fudge said. "I know you wish to go on a long break to deal with what happened during the battle, but the morale of the public is low with the number of deaths amongst the children. Would you consider a public wedding? We need something to get people's spirits up from where they are, and that might be what is needed"

#

"NO!" Harry said when he was told. "A wedding is something special, Mione – not a damned fucking circus show"

"Neither of us wanted to do it at first, Harry" Hermione replied. "But you have to see it the way that Fudge is looking at it. Most of the public out there are saddened and shocked by the number of children killed. Morale is at an all time low and something needs to be done or Dumbledore will have won one battle after all"

"I know how you feel, Harry" Ahsoka said, stroking an arm tenderly. "But I have to agree with Hermione when she says that people need something to believe in" and they spent the next three hours convincing Harry to do this.

"Not" he said at last to Fudge who had remained silent up to this point, "Not until after the funerals and services"

"Yes…" he said quietly, "Of course…"

"If you excuse me, Minister, I have work to do" and Harry left the drawing room.

"I wonder what he saw between the time he sent you two away and the time that he killed Dumbledore" said Fudge, watching the door close.

"Just a door" Hermione said. "But you should have seen what we found in the lower parts of the place. Dead children – magical and muggle – killed after being tortured and, in some cases, raped repeatedly. How are you ever going to forget a thing like that?" she asked him.

"Never" the Minister replied.

"Harry's own memories and experiences came back when he saw it. I wish that I could take what happened to Harry away, but I know that is never going to fully happen" Ahsoka said.

"There should have been monthly checks on his condition" Fudge said. "I can only apologise to him for that and pay for whatever treatment he needs"

"You make it sound like an illness, Minister" Hermione said.

"I didn't mean it quite like that"

"But maybe you are right" she sighed. "Poor Harry… who helps the hero?" she shook her head. "Don't think us rude or anything, but we should be going after Harry"

"Yes, of course" Fudge said. "I'll do what I can to help him recover from everything that has happened. After what he has done for us, it is the least that I can do…. The least _any of us_ can do"

#

Harry spent the rest of the time he had writing letters to the families of those killed – something he wanted to do. He knew it would not make it any easier, but he hoped that they would understand what had happened and, in most cases, death was swift and painless. One night, after the services, both Ahsoka and Hermione thought Harry was sleeping on his own when he, in fact, made a night time trip to see Luna. The girl listened to everything that Harry had to say because Harry knew her to be the best person to talk to – at least at first.

"None of what has happened to you was your fault" she said after he had finished.

"Which part?" he asked.

"The abuse that you suffered" said Luna. "There was nothing that you could have done about it. If you had used magic to defend yourself, Dumbledore could easily have allowed you to be thrown out to live as a muggle – allowing your relatives to continue the abuse you received"

"I suppose that you could say that"

"I could, and I think that I just did so" Luna told him. "You have kept all of that bottled up inside you for years. I have seen the way that you reacted whenever Hermione would hug you – you flinched and froze up slightly. Now that you are in a relationship, perhaps it is time that you can get over the abuse"

"Perhaps, but that is not what is hurting me the most"

"And what is that?"

"I think I am damned" Harry said simply.

"Why?"

"I promised to bring everyone back, and I broke that promise, Luna" Harry said.

"Harry, wars rarely happen where everyone comes back alive. Wars do not generally stop and everyone comes home for tea and biscuits" the girl said.

"But I promised them, Luna" Harry said, voice changing as he thought his pledge. "My soul is now forfeit"

"I think" the girl said after a pause, "That it isn't. They were not counted as dead until a Healer certified them as being so"

"That's semantics" Harry smiled weakly. "I broke a promise and now my soul is forfeit"

"You believe you have a soul, Harry Potter?" Luna asked him calmly.

"Yes, I do. But now it is irreparably damaged"

"I wouldn't say that, Harry" Luna said calmly. "You did what you had to do – that's war"

"Maybe so, but I killed people, Luna. Why would Ahsoka and Hermione want to marry somebody who is a killer? No matter who it is, murder is still murder"

"What would have happened if Dumbledore had remained free?"

"He would have killed more people until I was dead. I suppose that in some respects we're the same"

No you're not, Harry" said Luna, looking at him through eyes that were filled with tears.

"I am, Lu" he replied. "I went in there knowing that it was either him or me. I went in there ready to kill"

"Did you have to?"

"Yes. But that isn't the worst part" Harry said.

"What was it?"

"I enjoyed it"

"And what about now?"

"Now?" and Luna nodded. "I suppose that I regret that he didn't stand trial for what he ahs done. What he did to families… his own sister… _me_. Now I find the whole thing disgusts me. I hope I never have to fight something like that again"

"So you don't enjoy Dumbledore's death?"

"Not really. I suppose I would have been happy if he was pushed through the veil, but only because he would not have been able to harm me again"

"Then you are not a bad person because you regret your actions" Luna said.

"Maybe you are right, Lu, but why would those two want to marry a murderer?"

"Because everything leading up to that point was not of your making, and because of the fact that we love you" a voice said from the shadows. Hermione stepped out of the shadows with Ahsoka besides her. Harry froze before falling into her waiting arms.

"Those bastards are going to pay" Ahsoka said. "They are going to pay for what they did to you" and it was a long time before Harry stopped sobbing into Hermione. The four of them stood looking at the memorial placed there by Fudge a few days before until Harry broke the silence.

"Ladies, what are your intentions?" the tears spilled from his eyes. "I'd like to go home"

#

The trial of the Dursleys were held the following week, and Harry was forced to attend so that his evidence could be presented against his relatives. They tried to claim they had done nothing wrong and that it was practically their right to do what they had done to Harry. Harry's speech was entered into evidence as well as very detailed memories of the years of rapings and other sexual abuse he suffered by them. A full examination by the Healers detailing scars, mental and physical, was also offered by the prosecution as more damning evidence of the torture. The jury was made up of two magicals and two muggles who knew the magical world well. The judge had taken their seat wearing a cloak with a hood drawn over them – hiding their face. The only way to tell if they were male or female was by the voice – a cultured female voice that Harry and Hermione knew and knew well. The defendants were already sat in the specially built dock when the trio had arrived with all the pomp and ceremony due to the head of a Noble and Most Ancient house. Every Auror in the room had come to full attention and remained there until Harry nodded his approval. As he, Hermione and Ahsoka sat in a box to watch the proceedings and to wait until they were called upon, four Aurors took up position around them with wands out and in plain sight.

"Bring in the first witness" said the judge. A door at the far side of the courtroom opened and Pomfrey came in dressed in simple black robes. She was placed in a chair facing the bench with an Auror on either side – but neither had their wands drawn. It was clear that the old witch had been broken hearted by the things she had done, and she presented no danger to anybody. "You are Poppy Pomfrey?"

"Yes, your honour"

"Formerly School Nurse at Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"I was" Pomfrey confirmed.

"I have been informed that you have agreed to give evidence on behalf of the prosecution in return for a reduced sentence" and Pomfrey nodded.

"I know I have done wrong, your honour, and I know I must pay for that in time to come"

"Tell me your history with Mr Potter"

"I first saw Harry in 1987 after being called in by Albus Dumbledore to take care of his injuries. He had clearly been raped, but it was my job to sort him out and to ensure he was healthy enough to undergo the next one"

"Why did you not object to what was going on?"

"My husband had been killed by James Potter's father during a training session when both were to become Aurors. I instantly hated the Potter family and vowed to get my revenge on the pair of them. Consenting to the abuse, and helping to cover it up, was my way of fulfilling that pledge" Pomfrey said.

"Who brought you in?" asked the judge.

"Dumbledore" Pomfrey said. "He knew of my hatred for the Potter family, and he also knew that I couldn't do anything to Harry's father because he was too close to other people for anything to work" the woman said.

"How were you paid?" asked the judge.

"I was given a cut of the money made from the rape sessions held at the Dursley home" Pomfrey said. "They also gave me money from those that were taped and internet viewings"

"Did you take part in any of these… activities?"

"Yes. To my shame, I did indeed take part in those activities"

"Going to the aftermath of the battle undertaken by Mr Potter and the others, you mention that you had been told not to treat Harry by the Dursleys"

"That is correct" Pomfrey said. "They claimed he was still under their jurisdiction and that he was not to be treated unless they ordered it. They told me they wanted nothing so that he would die and the evidence of what they had done… _what we all had done_… would go with Mr Potter to the grave" she said.

"Dursley family" the judge turned to the family. "Do you wish to contest anything of what has been said?"

"All of it" said Vernon. "It is all lies"

"Just because you think something is a lie, Mr Dursley, is not a good reason to object to this questioning. You have been given enough chances to review the evidence, but, I understand, you rejected everything and demanded to be set free – claiming you had done nothing wrong in doing your unspeakable acts" the judge said.

"It is our right to demand Potter for whatever use we want for him" Petunia said. "After all, we took him in and cared for him-"

"Is that what they call child abuse nowadays?" asked a voice.

"Silence in the court" the judge said. "Your care, Mrs Dursley, amounted to what can only be best described as inadequate. At worst, it can be described as appalling. There are not enough words in the English language to describe how foul you, your family and those that took part in the abuse of Mr Potter truly are"

"We demand to see a higher authority" shouted Marge.

"Oh?" the judge chuckled. "Do you now? I'll deal with you in a moment" she turned back to Pomfrey. "Your admission has been received and entered into the record of this trial. Poppy Pomfrey, stand up" and the woman did so. "This court finds you guilty of all charges and sentences you to hang by the neck until dead" and a gasp ran through the crowd. "However…" the judge went on, "You have also shown remorse and regret at your actions and have named everybody you know that took part in the dealings from the Dursleys to the Weasley family" and at that, Harry's magic began a slow build up to explosion levels. "Because of this, I sentence you to spend a period of no less then thirty years in jail with parole possible after that term. Because of abilities, tarnished as they might be, you will be assigned to work in the prison hospital. Aurors, take her away to start her sentence" and they did so.

"I never knew about the Weasleys" said Harry. "Always through the memories I had a black hole. That must have been when they came around" he went through many exercises in his mind to curb his climbing magical ability before it caused serious damage. The questioning of other people took over two hours to complete, and the accused took no option to cross examine the witness.

"What about us?" demanded Marge and Petunia at the same time.

"Yes… What about you…?" the judge regarded them.

"We want to see someone proper!" demanded Dudley. "Somebody not a freak like you"

"I could do you for contempt of court, but I think we'll let you off that one" said the judge.

"We want to see a higher authority" Vernon repeated his sister's words.

"And whose authority is higher than mine?"

"The Queen's" the Dursleys said in unison.

"You idiots" the judge laughed as she reached up and pulled down the hood. "I _AM_ THE QUEEN! You want a speeded end to all of this? Because you have no respect for certain members of society, I shall grant you this. It is my judgement that you are all guilty of the crimes and specifications set out before you. Dudley, Marjorie and Petunia Dursley, it is the sentence of this court that, being a danger to society, to young and venerable children, are the worst kind of person possible and given the fact you show no regret or remorse for your actions, it is my judgement that you spend the rest of your days remanded to the Secured Mental Health Hospital, Broadmoor. There, you will spend the rest of your lives or until you are no longer any danger to society. Your assets and property will be auctioned off, and the money raised split between Mr Potter and rape charities"

"AND WHAT ABOUT ME?" Vernon shouted. He rose from his seat which caused the Aurors to point wands at him.

"It is my understanding that you claim to not understand magical kind" said the Queen.

"I will never understand a freak like that, and-"

"… you will now. Vernon Dursley, it is my judgement that the memories of Mr Potter's abuse be implanted into your mind and for them to play for the entire period. Every shred of pain that he received, you will now know of it. It will be as if you are the one abused. After those memories are completed, you will be taken from Azkaban jail to Broadmoor to spend the rest of your life there or unless you are deemed fit enough to rejoin society"

"How long do I have to suffer these fake memories?"

"Five years, Mr Dursley. Enjoy them – it might help you to understand the pain you gave Mr Potter, though I doubt it. Aurors, you may take them away. This court stands completed" the Queen spoke. She got up and walked around the bench to move past the prisoners, stopped and called out to them. "Mr Dursley?"

"What?" Vernon spat at her.

"This" and the Queen, showing remarkable ability, kicked him in the balls.

"You bitch" he roared in pain, threw off his guards and rushed the Queen. Before he touched her, seventy stunners hit him – twenty from point blank range – and he crumpled to the floor.

"Take him away for treatment and then carry out the sentence" the Queen ordered. She watched as the figure of Vernon Dursley was dragged away and out of Harry's life for a long, long time. "That is a most odious piece of humanity" she muttered. "That" she said to the gathered persons, "Was an unpleasant experience. I do, however, have something happy to share with you all. Mr Potter, please step forward…" and all eyes turned on Harry as he came out of his box and stood in front of the Queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"It is often thought that I pay little to no attention to the magical world. Just because I do not go walking up Diagon Alley every Tuesday doesn't mean that I know nothing about it. Minister Fudge advices me once a week about the state of my magical subjects, and he told me an interesting story. It was a story about a boy who led a battle to defeat terrible evil. A young man who remained behind to finish the job when it looked as if nobody would survive the end. A young man who nearly died in the pursuit of that freedom. Mr Potter, words can not express the gratitude that I feel. I hope that this will go some way to showing how grateful I am. Normally, there is a special one that I use, but I think it is fitting that we use a weapon used on the field of battle. Your sword, if you please…" and Harry withdrew Gryffindor's sword, reversed it and handed it over to the Queen.

"Ma'am?"

"Mr Potter, please kneel" and Harry did so. "Minister Fudge, would you mind handing over that box to me in a moment?" and the Queen lifted the sword so it caught all the light and glittered and glimmered. "Harry James Potter, for your heroism, bravery, courageousness, dedication to battle and for almost sacrificing yourself in battle with a more powerful and more armed enemy, I confer upon you the title of Knight of the British Empire" and she touched each of his shoulders. Fudge held an open box on a purple cushion, and the Queen gave him the sword to hold as she placed the medal around his neck before touching his shoulders again. "Arise, Sir Harry" and there was a loud thump as somebody hit the floor.

"Oh" said Harry.

"Would somebody please get a Doctor to attend Miss Granger? I dare say she has passed out" the Queen said. "Mr Potter, for what you did, despite your history, I am forever in your debt" the Queen titled her head in thanks before being escorted by a full regiment of Aurors out of the room.

"Sir Harry Potter?" Harry looked down at the medal as he ran it through his fingers. "The world has gone crazy. Next thing I know, I'll be on the Chocolate Frog cards…"

**A/N:**

**First of all, I just want to point out that today, October 7th, is my birthday, so you're getting four updates (this, Ch 2 of Living Together, Ch 3 of The Secret and a little one shot in the one shot collection) as a little gift to you all. I look forward to reading your reviews for all fics.**

**Bonus points awarded to anybody who can identify what the titles means in English and from what famous and much loved Japanese show it comes from – your only clue is that it is not Pokemon. Triple bonus points to those who can even identify the scene and characters…**

**Points are also awarded to anybody who can identify the other Aurors in the room with Kingsley when questioning Pomfrey and from what shows. A single point given to anyone who can find a slightly changed line from Apollo 13. Points totalled will be given in a Review Reply. You are not permitted to use Google – I will be able to find out…**

**I know this is a little longer then what I said before, but some parts had to be re-written because of the recent kidnapping and suspected murder of a little girl in the UK, so I had to cut huge chunks and re-write of this in little more then a few days.**

**I am putting work back a week so that I can get to do some thing I want instead of sat writing these fics. Believe it or not, Pixel And Stephanie does have a life… PASF isn't going to go trainspotting, but is instead going to help run a pirate Radio Station… More details later…**

**Thanks, in advance, to all those reviews for both fics.**

**Regards**

**Pixel and Stephanie**


	22. Surprises Abound

**Surprises Abound**

After Harry and his girls returned from a three week cruise around various places, they returned to the UK with a number of stories and a great deal of tanned skin to show off – though no tan lines were visible to anybody if one was to look. With the defeat of Dumbledore, peace had come to the magical world. There had been a few incidents when rogue followers of Dumbledore had been discovered and resisted arrest, but there was nothing for Harry to really fight for.

"What does a hero with no war do?" he asked Hermione one day.

"Enjoy life as you always have" she replied.

"I haven't always…" Harry reminded her.

"True…"

One of the trio's first tasks was to fix the damaged _Freedom_ which had been left at Hogwarts in the exact same condition that it had landed in after the return from battle. The three of them took it back into the workshop under the castle to repair, refit and repaint everything that needed to be done. Shortly after this was done, it was used by the DMLE to transport prisoners to the island prison of Azkaban. There was, everyone thought, some irony to a ship named _Freedom_ taking people to loose theirs. As part of the

increased security measures put into place, all Portkey and Apparition travel was cut off so that the only way was either by Floo or by the boat. Given the amount of time needed to move several hundred prisoners, it was decided to borrow the ship. After that, it remained in a bunker built by the Goblins to house it and the surviving X-Wing. A third was being built out of the remains of Harry's wrecked one, but it was going to take time to construct.

#

The evening before his meeting with Fudge and Bones, Harry stood by the rows of marker stones that looked like a field of strange corn. Though he had made his peace with what had happened, there was one more thing he wanted to do that would end the war – for him at least. After finding out that his parents had been disturbed in their plots, Fudge had ordered their removal to Hogwarts for final interment. The costs for the entire service would be met by the Ministry as part of a settlement to Harry for the years they had ignored him, his warnings and his pleas for help.

"We're ready, Mr Potter" an Auror said quietly. The boy nodded silently, and the Auror turned and gave the signal. Two caskets, each made out of oak and bearing the Potter, Gryffindor and Hogwarts crests floated between two lines of Aurors. A spot had been chosen, by Hermione and Ahsoka so that Harry's parents would rest forever in the shade of the castle forever. The banners flew from windows overlooking the grave markers, and Harry watched as the two coffins came past him, wondered if they would be proud of all that he had done and what he was to do in all that was to come. Only the soft sounds of footsteps on grass could be heard as even nature had stopped to pay tribute… Until the strains of a violin came from behind them.

"Where is that coming from?" Harry looked around but saw nobody.

"There!" Ahsoka pointed out, and most of the gathered persons looked to see a lone figure standing on the very top of the highest tower at the school. Despite being so high up, and being far away, every noise was as clear as crystal.

"Luna wanted to do something" Hermione said. "She wanted to keep it a surprise"

"I do not know what she is playing" said McGonagall.

"I do not have any idea either" Hermione said. They were surprised, therefore, to hear a sad half chuckle coming from Harry.

"Nearer My God To Thee" he said, tears streaming down from his eyes. "What else could it be…? Please thank her for it…" and turned back to the ceremony. Now, and forever more, Aurors would serve a two month tour of duty patrolling the entire plot in full dress robes and ceremonial armour. These would be the pick of the Aurors, at least at first - those Aurors who had survived the battle.

#

"You want to do _what_ with it?" asked Fudge. Harry rolled his eyes before explaining his plan once more.

"I plan to use the _Freedom_ on freight work. It can take large amounts of parcels and such like"

"But we have House Elves to do that" Fudge said.

"Assume you have a large object that you wish to move" Harry said. "The elf would have to shrink it, apperate with it, resize and then leave – four pieces of magic. In my case, all that would happen is that each item is loaded aboard, flown to the destination and apperated to the place in the location it is wanted. The costs work out at much less than using elves and Owls"

"You will put the Owl Post out of business, Mr Potter" said Fudge.

"People use Owls for sending letters and tiny parcels. _Freedom_ will carry those objects too large, heavy and bulky to be done that way. Besides, there are many things that need moving around that can not be moved around by magical transport means"

"Like volatile potions and delicate ingredients"

"To name but a few" Hermione said. "There are also places in the world where you can't transport magically to like New Zealand, Java, parts of the Pacific… _Freedom_ can shrug that off without a problem, and it would save the Ministry money as well"

"How?"

"I have been studying the ways of your magic" Ahsoka said. "To deliver something to or from these places requires you to portkey or floo to a convenient spot and then to take muggle transport – sometimes taking up to twelve hours. With a top speed of 6,500 miles per hour, we can do a round trip in less than half that"

"What about people?" asked Bones.

"We'd take people as well" said Harry. "It would be useful for you to rotate Aurors from remote places if we're going in that general direction. A little side trip wouldn't be a problem"

"Why not test us?" asked Hermione. "Ask us to take something to a certain location and we'll let you know how it did"

"Sounds fair" agreed Fudge. "I understand that Madam Bones is due to rotate the Aurors in both the Ascension and Falkland Islands next week. A group of forty Aurors in total – is that alright?"

"You tell us when and what time to pick them up, and we'll be there" Ahsoka smiled.

"We shall be in touch later" Bones said. "I might even join you for the trip – been years since I last went down there"

"More the merrier" Harry laughed.

#

"Ladies and Gentlemen" Harry said, "Welcome aboard the _Freedom_. I'm Captain Harry Potter, and these are my officers" he gestured grandly at Hermione and Ahsoka. "It will take about an hour and a half to reach our various destinations, but we have tea and sandwiches for those feeling a little peckish. If you would all mind changing into your dress robes, I would appreciate everybody's attendance on the cargo deck in forty minutes" Harry said, watching as the last arrivals boarded the ship. Before going to an early bed, Harry had elves going to houses all over the country with the same cryptic message:

_Board the _Freedom_ at Hogwarts at 9am tomorrow morning_

_Bring Dress Robes_

Harry was at the controls when Hermione closed the doors, and he and Ahsoka ran through the checklist before doing anything else.

"Engine pressurisation check"

"100%" Harry replied.

"Throttle control linkages"

"Links are stable"

"Emergency Manual controls"

"Standing by"

"Reactor plant"

"Hot"

"Weapons and shields"

"Operating within normal ranges"

"Ready to go?"

"I agree" Harry flicked on the intercom. "All passengers, this is the Captain. Please take your seats and ensure that your seat back trays are in their upright and locked positions. Today's in-flight movie will be 'Twilight' – a low budget film of poor taste and quality where vampires sparkle. Thank you for flying Harry Potter Airlines, and we hope you have a pleasant flight"

"You enjoyed that" Ahsoka smiled.

"Damned right" Harry gave the panels another look before running up the engines. The powerful take off jets roared into life and the _Freedom_ took to the air as gracefully as a bird. "Plot us a course for the shortest route to Ascension Island"

"Aye" Ahsoka started working at the navigational computer. Harry brought the craft round in a wide, banking turn to the right before powering away. "Course plotted and entered"

"Cheers"

"Where everybody knows your name"

"There we go" Harry entered the course into the computer, turned on the automatic computer and engaged the cloak. "Madam Bones and Minister Fudge, please report to the bridge" Harry said.

# # # # #

"_Attention all passengers, this is the Captain. Please report to the cargo deck in full dress robes. This is a direct order. Would the girls please ensure Plan M is carried out. That is all_"

"Plan M?" Hermione shrugged at Ahsoka's question.

"Harry hasn't said what he was doing with Fudge and Bones after we set off. He is up to something…" she would have said more, but their girl friends all came in with make up and covered up items on hooks.

"Ready to get married?" Hannah asked.

"Married?"

"Yes…" said Lavender. "Harry decided he wanted it low key with no press around. We all get told last night"

"The cheeky little bastard" Hermione and Ahsoka said in unison. Harry had, once again, surprised them both.

# # # # #

"I have lately had the solemn duty of attending the funerals of those killed in the fight for freedom. It is, therefore, something of a joyous occasion I officiate at this afternoon" Fudge said. They had gathered together on the empty cargo deck to bear witness to the event. "These three people have chosen to spend the rest of their lives together in the happy state of Louisiana…" Fudge frowned as he re-read his cards. A quiet snigger told him that the Weasley twins had clearly messed around with them. "… happy state of matrimony. In all of my years as Minister, I have never seen a more devoted group of individuals. They compliment each other in ways that most of us would be lucky to even grasp the concept of. We all know the trials and tribulations that they have gone through, the obstacles put into their paths and the battles they have won. I hope you will join me in wishing the group a long and happy marriage" Fudge looked at Hermione and Ahsoka – both looking radiant in gowns. Hermione's was that sort of golden white that defied classification. Ahsoka's was a cross between maroon red and blood red. Each dress had a slight train to them. "Are you ready?"

"We are"

"Who gives these two women away? Who entrusts their lives and safety to another person?"

"My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I give their lives to Harry Potter's keeping" McGonagall was thoroughly enjoying her role as Mother of the Brides. She took one hand from each of her students and gave them to Harry. She had agreed to take part in the ceremony, but had not been told until the _Freedom_'s departure from Hogwarts what that role would entail. She had tried to get out of it by saying they should go to somebody else, but Harry had replied by saying Hermione always considered her to be a mother to her – and the same went to him as well. After facing assault from all sides, and a three week jail spell in Azkaban, the woman had given in and played her part well.

"Harry, because of the loss of your parents, I shall not ask if anyone has your life"

"Oh" said Harry, "Hermione and Ahsoka have always had that…"

"Of course" Fudge nodded. "Harry Potter, do you take these two women, Hermione Granger and Ahsoka Tano, to be your lawfully wedded wives? To love and to hold? For richer or poorer? In sickness and in health? Until do part you all?" he asked.

"I do"

"Hermione, Ahsoka. do you take this man, Harry Potter, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold? For richer or poorer? In sickness and in health? Until death do part you all?"

"I do"

"You betcha" and there was some laughter at a typically Ahsoka kind of response.

"Put your hands in such a way that they are touching the other two persons'" and they did so. The moment they touched, a blindingly beautiful light shone and a warm breeze of magic washed over the assembled persons. "I declare these persons, in accordance with our laws and traditions, to be husband and wives" Fudge said, and the entire cargo deck thundered with applause and cheering.

# # # # #

After the celebration, Harry and his wives went to their room to spend the night together. The ship had been landed because of the fears the waves of sexual energy from the trio would tear the ship to pieces. It wasn't until three days later that they emerged from inside what some of the guests had come to know as the 'Dungeon of Lurrrrve"

# # # # #

The rest of the adventure passed smoothly, and they returned to their home at Grimmauld Place after landing at Hogwarts – taking a portkey back. Dobby had been taking care of their business whilst the trio were away, and they packed him off on an all expenses paid trip to a magical health spa. The elf had been dubious about this until Harry mentioned that the staff were all humans – humans who had to respond to an elf's wishes.

"_Wouldn't that be a novelty?_" Hermione had said. "_Humans acting as a house elf to a house elf_" and Dobby grinned before rushing to pack his bags.

"Letters are here" Hermione said. She held three identical looking letters in her hands, each one bearing their names.

"I wonder who they will get to teach DADA this year" Harry said, opening his letter. As he did so, he felt something pop into existence and drop into his lap.

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_You are required to know that school starts on September 2nd, with the usual feast on September 1st. After consideration amongst the members of staff, I am pleased and honoured to offer you the position of Head Boy. I will send you details of your rights and responsibilities at a later date. As, for some reason, the DADA position is now vacant, I have offered the job to Professor Chuck Norris. Mr Norris has battled almost as many dark creatures as you have, Mr Potter – so please try to leave the school in one piece. Please find below a list of books other than the normal ones required to learn._

_Myspace by Chuck Norris_

_Creatures I Allow To Live by Chuck Norris_

_Hunting The Bogeyman by Chuck Norris_

_Turning Down The Sun by Chuck Norris_

_Survive In Hollywood by Chuck Norris_

_Policing The Streets of Texas by Chuck Norris_

_Dodgeball – A Beginner's Guide by Chuck Norris_

_Flower Arrangement by Chuck Norris_

_The staff and myself that you enjoy your final year at Hogwarts and that you find the peace you have always wanted._

_M. McGonagall_

_Acting Mother In Law_

"You made Head Boy!" Hermione said, jumping into Harry's lap and snogging him.

"I guess you made Head Girl" the badge was already pinned to Hermione's blouse.

"Is this good or bad?" Ahsoka asked. She was holding up a duplicate Head Girl badge for the others to look at.

"Two Head Girls?" Hermione frowned. "I never read of such a thing"

"Maybe McGonagall wanted us together" Harry shrugged.

"It'll be queer this year" Hermione said. "This will be our final year at Hogwarts. I don't want it to ever end…" the girl added quietly.

"On the plus side" Harry started counting on his fingers, "No Voldemort, Snape, Dumbledore, dangerous objects, ancient magic or Malfoy to get me down"

"What about DADA? The new teacher is going to push you to the fullest" Hermione said to him.

"Mione, I actually know this man in the muggle world. He is a really famous actor and martial artist, but let me tell you something. Children look under the bed for the Boogey Man, the Boogey Man looks under his bed for Chuck Norris and Chuck Norris looks under his bed for me"

"Really?" asked Ahsoka.

"Oh yeah" Harry nodded before breaking into fits of laughter.

"Will you really miss going to Hogwarts?" Ahsoka asked, snuggling up to Harry and Hermione.

"It was the first place I could really be myself" Hermione told her. "It is one of the few places that I really fitted in. And" she kissed Harry, "I found this hunk of a boy"

"For me, it was a couple of months away from… you know" Harry said quietly. "But I met two gorgeous ladies who I can have my way with any time of the day and who have shown me that love isn't hurtful"

"Us" Ahsoka gripped Harry through his jeans.

"No – the Patil Twins" he chuckled. Whilst being snogged by Hermione, he felt Ahsoka move off him. He was about to protest when he heard the zipper coming down and her hand snaking through the flap of his boxers – pulling out his already hardening member. When he felt a warm wetness on it, his brain initiated the back up plan. Overriding all other instructions, Harry's brain rolled his eyes upwards and closed his eye lids. Once that was done, it then reduced the output of thoughts and redirected the energy to emotional control. As Ahsoka began working her way down from tip of his hardened shaft, the brain increased Harry's breathing ability, placed the ejaculation system on hot standby – linked to emotional control and the penis – and then went into hibernation mode for the next hour. The last thing it did was to increase the sensitivities of the skin and nerves.

#

Despite having two wives already, Harry was obliged to take a mistress to his bed. This wasn't for some strange purpose his parents had signed up to or some old custom that the son of the 7th male marries the daughter of the 7th female – it was all down to Lavender. She had sworn an oath that, in return for all that Harry had done for her after her near death experience, she would become his mistress and allow herself to be used as a plaything and fucked like a whore. At first, Harry had outright refused on the grounds he had two wives and that was all he wanted. He had had to consent when Lavender's magic started to fail her – leaving her somewhat powerless and weak. Despite giving Lavender what Hermione and Ahsoka termed 'A Mercy Shag', Harry disliked it and found the oath only lasted until they finished Hogwarts – though McGonagall was going to need new kitchen equipment.

"Are you certain you don't want to travel by the train?" Bones asked, watching as the last of the students boarded.

"We're going by other means" said Hermione. She looked at Harry who was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. After getting extremely drunk one night and watch reruns of a Japanese show with an American remaining, he had started building machines that he had described as fun. It had taken them nearly three weeks to find the most powerful crystals in all of Gringotts, but they had them and had incorporated them into their designs.

"Your ship?" Fudge asked. He was seeing his niece off on her first ever term at Hogwarts.

"Part of the way" Ahsoka sighed. Harry was now jumping up and down like a crazed maniac at a football match, and he appeared to be nothing more than a child in an adult's body. The only problem, in Harry's opinion, was how was going to convince Su-Li, a Ravenclaw he had discovered that Tuesday, to take part. In the end, he simply used the fact he had saved the world to get her to come around… "Come on, Harry. Excuse us, please" Ahsoka then stepped out of the way as Harry raced for the apparition exit. By the time the others had caught up with him, the _Freedom_ was already closing the main cargo ramp. Harry had argued that, because of a problem that needed taken care of for McGonagall, it was just as well he had built these machines after seeing the show.

#

"That is one big Troll" said Ahsoka. She had never seen such a huge creature before – not counting dragons.

"Can we…?" Harry was beside himself with excitement.

"Oh, go on then" Hermione rolled her eyes and looked to the others. "He _did_ almost die to save us all from Dumbledore" she shrugged. Harry reached into the back of jeans, pulled out a small black object with a gold coin in the middle and held it out in front of him as the others did the same.

"ITS MORPHIN TIME!" he cried.

"MASTERDON!" cried Dean.

"PTERODACTYL!" said Luna

"TRICERATOPS!" declared Hermione.

"SABRE TOOTHED TIGER" Su-Li shouted at the top of her voice.

"TYRANNOSAURUS" Harry said. There was a blight flash and they were covered in uniforms with a helmet – all in different colours. Dean was black, Luna was pink, Hermione was blue, Su-Li was yellow and Harry was red.

"I'm going to kill whoever came up with the Power Rangers" Hermione muttered.

"So now we take it on?" asked Dean.

"Not yet" Harry replied. He was enjoying the fact he could do almost anything he ever wanted due to his being the saviour and the Chosen One. "WE NEED DINOSAUR POWER – NOW!" and the grounds to Hogwarts opened up in a violent display or volcanic eruptions as huge monsters rose from the ground. The Troll stopped attacking everything in sight as it saw the new arrivals. The little figures on the ground jumped high, higher then what it was used to, and landed on the back of the heads of the giant machines. Once combined to make the Megazord, they engaged in sword to club battle with the dangerous creature – eventually blowing it up in a shower of sparks and flames. "WOOOOOOOO! I wanna do that again!" Harry said.

There was only silence from the others - Which Ahsoka broke…

"I still say he is brain damaged" as Harry started a one man victory dance around the command deck of the Megazord.

#

He was still at it at 2am

**A/N:**

**If you didn't like the ending to this chapter, then please don't let the Back button hit you on the way out!**

**The ending actually started out as a Harry Potter One Shot, but ended up included here because… I'm the Author. And, lets be honest, who wouldn't love to see a Harry Potter / Mighty Morphin Power Rangers crossover. Imagine the battle of Hogwarts with the Megazord… *Author drools…* I am dedicating the ending, not to a person, but to my own little self – just for a change… and any other Power Ranger fans out there – you too.**

**Regarding Chapter 21's non English title, it seems as if nobody got it at all. It is the name of a Japanese nursery song – translated as 'We Are All Alive' sung by the Tachikomas as they plunge to their deaths in the last episode of Ghost in the Shell 2nd GiG.**

**The Aurors with Kinsgley are all famous fictional Detectives from UK cop shows – William Frost was from the great show 'A Touch of Frost'** **Endeavour Morse was from 'Morse' – as good a show as ATOF ever was and Henry Crabb was from 'Pie In The Sky' – a show about a senior police officer who is also a chef.**

**Last, but not least, if anybody happens to listen to shortwave Pirate radio these days and happened to have heard the station Radio Echo 1 – lemmie know.**

**One last thing, however, I would appreciate it if, before reviewing, people looked at my ff profile page. I have reintroduced the list of fics worked on. I have the same list at home. Once all the fics are done, then they get replaced with another set. It at least gives me more time to do fics instead of being guilt tripped into it by people going 'Update now!"**

**BTW, Margerat Luna Sullivan, please update your HP fic.**

**Better go as it is (at time of writing) 0303 UK time and have been awake for the last three days anyhow.**

**Regards**

**Pixel and Stephanie Forever**

**Awake for 72 days**

**Sober for 71**


	23. Return To An Old World

**Return To An Old World**

"I hope that we got the last question right on that exam" Hermione said as she, Harry and Ahsoka came out of the last of their exams.

"I expect we did" Ahsoka said. "The answer was mentally groping me as I wrote it down"

"Did you really have to do that?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Made life interesting" he replied. "To think that we have a week of nothing to do until we get our results"

"I can not believe that it is all nearly over. Sometimes I wish that we could stay here forever and ever" Hermione said.

"Aye" Harry replied, "We all think that when we are young" he added. "I had a few ideas as to what we can do in the week"

"Like what?" Ahsoka enquired.

"Have sex for the entire seven days" Harry said. "That'll make your whole week" he added with a deadpan expression. "Actually, I was thinking about finishing the boat down at the boat house" and the girls agreed that they might as well – seeing as they had the time to spare. After changing into more comfortable clothing, they went down to the boathouse to find their partially built boat sitting in the specially built dockyard. The hull of the boat was only a little way off the top of the water, but Harry had placed a large sheet of metal to stop it pouring in. The boat was going to have a large sail fitted as well as an engine so that it could move around in any kind of weather.

"She's beautiful" said Ahsoka. "I have seen a number of impressive and beautiful spacecraft, but I have never seen anything so… so…"

"Majestic?" offered Hermione.

"Yes" replied Ahsoka, "Something so majestic. I still do not get the name" she added.

"Al-Shama?" Hermione asked and Ahsoka nodded. "It means-"

"It means great water carrier" said Harry, picking up a tin of varnish and a cloth.

"I didn't realise that you spoke Arabic" Hermione blinked.

"I don't all that much" he replied, "But I know a little to say Good Morning and Good Night to that first year in Ravenclaw. But I got the name from that travel programme I watched the other week"

"Oh, that one…" Hermione nodded. "Life was more simple and yet much better…"

"I don't understand how so much pleasure can be gained from something so simple" said Ahsoka. "There is no technology, no safety features if it was to come apart… I'd prefer something with every possible item that could save your life"

"You come from a place that has technology all over, Ahsoka, but me and Hermione grew up without all that. We love to get soaked by the rain, to feel the wind as we zoom along the skies and to get and take whatever nature throws at us and still spit in her eye" Harry said. "Why do you think I put my broom through so many different and dangerous manoeuvres? Safety charms and spells are all very well, but doing something that could kill you makes you feel so alive. I bet that you felt like that during the classes we did in duelling" and Ahsoka nodded. "Well it is the same for me in Quidditch – I feel so in tune with everything and I know that the only mistakes are mine to make. When I flew the X-Wing to and from the battle… It felt I had more aliveness. I'm a quidditch player, 'Soka, and I belong in the air" and then Harry went back to the task of building the ship. After that was done, Harry and Hermione stepped the mast before Ahsoka levitated the great sail into place and tied it off very tightly.

"Harry?" Hermione called, confused at the sight she was looking at.

"Mmm?"

"Why is the Giant Squid coming towards us with a crate of champagne?"

"Oh" Harry looked up and yet didn't seem too concerned. "Forgot to mention… I asked the Giant Squid to do the launching and commissioning ceremony"

# # # # #

"Miss Hermione!" Harry called.

"Sir?"

"Set royals and topsails" Harry said as an order. "Bend all sail to her" he added.

"Aye, Aye, Sir" Hermione replied and then turned to Ahsoka. "You heard him, you dog… get a move on"

"Why me?" Ahsoka asked.

"No complaints from the lower decks!" Hermione said, lightly whipping Ahsoka on the back with a whip they used for other purposes.

"Sorry" Ahsoka grumbled as she brought the sails up and unfurled them – spreading their great canvas area for maximum purchase into the wind. With a jolt that had Ahsoka tumbling forwards in the forecastle, the _Al-Shama_ picked up speed and seemed to fly over the water. Picking herself up from the decking, Ahsoka felt the fine mist like spray coming over the bows and hitting her in the face – realising, in that very moment, what Harry and Hermione had been talking about with concerning the beauty and power of nature. Learning all manner of things during her time as a Padawan at the Jedi Temple had caused her to have a healthy respect for nature, though she had never understood the true beauty and power of it until now.

"See what I mean?" Harry's voice said. Ahsoka jumped to find Harry was by her side – something she could otherwise tell beforehand. "Two hundred year ago, people sailed out in ships akin to this one and could go months without seeing land again. You could get caught in a long period of calm seas, get sunk by an enemy vessel or just get lost until you all died. Once you left the safety of a friendly port, you had to rely upon the people you shipped out with. You could be fighting the French one day and landing on some new land the very next day…"

"But why go to places that you have never been to before?" Ahsoka frowned. She understood mapping surveys and all that, but that was done after accidents in hyperlight jumps caused ships to come out too early. All the survey work was done by automated probes – never by manned craft until they had good charts.

"Because it was there…" Harry shrugged before going aft and putting the helm hard over to port – causing the _Al-Shama_ to go in a tight left hand turn.

"Harry – lets test the cabins out" Hermione called from below.

"Ahsoka, take the wheel. I'm going to test the cabins out with Hermione"

"Why me?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because I am the Captain and I said so. Besides, I'll flog you for mutiny if you don't" and smiled as Ahsoka shuddered her way into an instant orgasm.

#

"You know what? I'll be sad to leave this place" Harry said.

"McGonagall said you could come back as many times as you wanted" Ahsoka argued, lying on the bed beside him.

"That is not the point" said Harry. "Its more akin to leaving a part of yourself behind. Most of my happy memories are from the times I came here. I learned to fly, was accepted for what I was, found love and comfort with you and Hermione – and now I have to leave it" and Ahsoka was quiet for a long time.

"I want to go back" she said.

"But we've hardly got the paint wet!" said Harry, complaining at the little time they had spent.

"I don't mean that" said Ahsoka. "I want to go back to my universe"

"I thought you said you couldn't do that" Hermione said, coming up to the bows too.

"I thought that, but I've been checking over the ships ready for their ferrying flights. We built them to the exact specifications that I had with me – right down to the hyperdrive"

"Yes…" Harry remembered that test well. "McGonagall still can't work out how I got that moon rock"

"I've been doing some number crunching on the _Freedom_'s computers, and I think that I could return back to my universe" Ahsoka said. "I have been running simulations all month, and I think that it is possible to go there and come back again.

"What for?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"Because I have to know if I am the last Jedi around" Ahsoka said quietly.

"Fair enough" said Harry, turning around and heading for the wheel. "When do we go?" he asked.

"_We_?"

"Oh come off it" Hermione snorted. "You honestly didn't think that we could let you go gallivanting off through the cosmos without us, did you?"

"All we need to do is check out the flight systems on the X-Wings and we'll be off" Harry said. "Actually, lets go tomorrow morning"

"Why?" asked both his girls.

"Because its Chicken Kiev tonight, and I love that stuff a lot – almost as much as you" Harry chuckled. "So, Ahsoka, where do you plan to take us?" he asked.

"Over the main console" she replied.

"What about where you are going to take us back in your Universe?" Harry sighed. "_Avada Kedavra_" he said, hitting a witch on the shore of the lake with the deadly Killing Curse.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked.

"Calm down, Mione… Its only that Stephanie Meyers" he assured her. "I have just done millions of peoples's lives a world of good"

"Tell that to Robert Patterson" Hermione muttered as she brought in some sail.

"Who?"

"He was some actor back in the day that left a promising film series and went to join a series of rather shitty and fucked up films that completely ruined the reputation of vampires and werewolves"

"What were they called?" asked Harry, bringing the ship around for the dock.

"'Sunset' I think" Hermione replied. "Something like that anyway"

"Who do you think wrote them?" Harry said, indicating the corpse that an impromptu crowd was dancing around.

"Oh well…" Hermione shrugged and conjured some treats for the dance group.

"She was a Death Eater as well…" Ahsoka said.

"How do you know that?" Hermione frowned, picking up the anchor and readying it for use.

"Someone writes something and causes girls all over the world to go and swoon over the stupidest things?" Ahsoka shrugged. "They are either a blind as a bat member of the Israeli naval forces with a penchant for shooting US naval vessels or a Death Eater – I pick the second option"

"Me too" Harry said. "Don't worry, Hermione" he assured her. "She was never a good writer to begin with"

# # # # #

They had decided to set off during the night – telling nobody of their departure and packing a lot of their clothing and spell books. After loading them into the _Freedom_, they readied all three craft for flight. This did not take long as they had had all three ships running pre-flight checks before dinner, so it was just a case of getting into the cockpits and heading off into space.

"Two, Three. Comm Check" Harry said.

"_Loud and clear_" said Ahsoka.

"_Sound good to me_" Hermione said.

"Beginning engine run-up procedures" Harry said, flicking switches to bring his engines online. "Red One has four greens" he reported.

"_Red Two has four greens_" Ahsoka called.

"_I've got three greens and a red_" said Hermione.

"_Run a check of the engine management system_" said Ahsoka. "_These engines can sometimes be temperamental_"

"_Still getting a red light on number three engine_" Hermione said. "_I can ignore it alright, though. I'm getting full power from it - could be a bug in the computer core itself_" she added. "_Ready for take off_"

"Well, off we go…" Harry increased engine power and rose gracefully off the ground, retracted his landing gear and swung round in a graceful arc and powered away. Ahsoka and Hermione came up together and assumed station with Harry as they went high and higher until they left the atmosphere. A few hours later, and whilst doing a full power run around the sun, they engaged their Hyperdrives and left their universe.

#

Harry was the first to wake up and he quickly checked over his X-Wing and scanned the surrounding space around him. Ahsoka and Hermione sat to starboard of him – Hermione being between Harry and Ahsoka in the formation.

"Two, Three" and after a minute of constant calling, his wives replied to his calls and replied that all systems were running normally.

"_Where do we go from here_?" asked Hermione.

"_The central planets are out_" said Ahsoka, "_But there are places that only Jedi know about_"

"But wouldn't your old Master know of these places?" Harry asked, shifting in his seat slightly.

"_Perhaps_" Ahsoka replied distantly, "_But we would have to try them anyway. I would suggest setting course for these co-ordinates_" as Ahsoka spoke, a series of maps, charts and numbers flashed over a number of display screens. "_It is a planet known as Dantoneene. Some Jedi, Padawans or even Younglings might be there. If that is the case, we can build the beginning of an effective fighting force_"

"_What about the time passed since you came to us?_" Hermione said.

"_Our jump here took us back in time somewhat_" Ahsoka replied. "_Besides, it is the closest base to our current location_"

"Might as well" Harry said. "Ahsoka, can we jump with weapons and shields running?"

"_No_" came the reply. "_Not at the same time. You can run with lasers and torpedoes armed, but shields would cause an imbalance in the way the subspace field forms around you in hyperspace_"

"Fair enough" Harry said. "Ahsoka, you take the lead on this one then… I will follow you ten seconds later with Hermione ten seconds after that. That way we can confuse anyone waiting there for us"

"_As ordered_"

"_Right_"

"_Making the jump in five, four, three, two, one…_" and Ahsoka's X-Wing flashed away. Twenty second later, and all three were on the way to the location Ahsoka had flashed to their navigational computers.

#

"That was a waste of time" said Ahsoka. Several hours after arriving in Ahsoka's original universe, the trio had discovered that Dantoneene was well and truly under the control of the Empire. Leaving the system unobserved, they had flown to a nearby asteroid belt and hidden low on a small planetoid that just had a breathable atmosphere.

"Any other places where you could find some Jedi?" asked Hermione.

"Tattooeene might be worth looking at" Ahsoka said. "There are a lot of places one could hide in plain sight. Wayland might be another one"

"Big place?" asked Harry.

"Not for the general public" said Ahsoka, "But it is full of pirates and smugglers. We might get a few leads or even find another Jedi"

"Sounds like a planet sized version of the Hog's Head" Harry replied. "How long until we can get there?" he asked.

"To Wayland?" Ahsoka shrugged. "A few hours, but I'd like to go the long way around. That way we're not thought to be smuggling anything and not get stopped by the patrols"

"Can we do that tomorrow?" asked Hermione. All that flying around has worn me out"

"Fair enough" Ahsoka said to her. "We can go back in time tomorrow and go to Wayland today, tomorrow"

"And, because that makes no sense, I am going to bed" Harry said, yawning as he rose from the ground.

#

By the time that Ahsoka and Hermione had arisen, Harry was already up and working on something.

"I was thinking that we could rescue the Jedi by going back in time again" he said, tapping a button in what passed for the _Freedom_'s lounge area. A grid appeared above the table before tiny planets popped into position. "This is a current tactical operations plot for all the forces. As you can see, there are some shipyards here" another tapped caused the map to shrike – except for one part.

"Kuat" said Ahsoka.

"You know it?" asked Hermione.

"I am" she replied. "Its supposed to be one of the biggest shipyards in the universe. They build everything from rubbish barges to warships…" she stopped and looked at Harry's mischief holding eyes.

"Yup" Harry nodded with a grin on his face. "We're going to steal a warship. There's a couple of smaller ones we can take. If we steal one and go back, we can simply pick up the Jedi"

"It _sounds_ good" Ahsoka said, "But can we pull it off? Even the smallest warships are manned by crews of hundreds"

"We could put them under an _Imperio_" Hermione shrugged.

"Not like to suggest an Unforgivable" Harry noted.

"Well there are times that one must break the rules" his wife said flatly. "However, that place will be guarded better then Dumbledore's arse in a gay bay. How do you propose that we get to the yards?"

"Hermione is right" Ahsoka said. "The entire system is set up so that you can only enter by two ways for one of three locations within the system. Passenger and cargo run along these routes" Ahsoka indicated the paths by tracing them on the holo-display.

"What about military traffic?" asked Harry.

"Here and here" Ahsoka pointed out. "The Empire, or the Republic as it is at the moment, will have a lot of forces guarding the routes in and out. Our best bet, rather then to sneak in, is to fly in in plain view"

"Excuse me?" Hermione blinked.

"We paint the X-Wings in military colours and keep the wings closed" Ahsoka replied. "From a distance, they will look just like Z-95s. Two fighters escorting a lone freighter won't be out of place right now, so we can get to the shipyards that way. Once docked, we'll hang around and look as if we are having MRT before heading back out"

"MRT?" Harry frowned.

"Mandated Rest Time, It's a minimum time for how long a pilot must have out of the cockpit"

"Why" Hermione said aloud in thought, "Can we not simply get the Jedi together and arrest this Palpy man?"

"Palpatine" Ahsoka corrected her sister-wife. "The Senate is closely guarded by the Army – and the Chancellor will be more so than that. Add to the fact the hundreds of warships between here and Couresount…"

"Maybe we can get to Kuat and speak to whoever is in charge there. Surely there must be a Jedi or two around" Harry said.

"There's one" Ahsoka leaned back in her seat. "Her name is Bariss Offee. We were great friends in the Temple growing up and she'd believe us. But," she added with a look to Harry and Hermione, "You'd best be willing to lower your mental shields. Offee can read minds like most Jedi can"

"Could she give us permission to take a ship?" Harry asked.

"Better then that, she could let us take all of the ships" Ahsoka suddenly beamed. "One of the things that Kuat Drive Yards does to get ships built quickly is to only fit them out with basic navigation and life support. Once capable of flight, they go off to another place to be fitted out. In theory, we could get Bariss to declare an emergency and order all ships capable of flight to leave the docks – depriving the Empire of their future use"

"And if we can get the clones on our side" Hermione mused, "We could field an effective fighting force. Besides, we can have the Clones explain what Order 66 is"

"They won't say to a Jedi" Ahsoka pointed out.

"Ah" Harry chuckled, "But we are not Jedi. All you have to do is order a Clone to talk about the order – you'd merely be in the same room"

"Then I suggest that we get to where we are going" Harry said. "Ahsoka, you sort out the computer side of things, Hermione you make the breakfast and I'll pre-flight all three ships"

#

"_Transport _Freedom_, you are cleared to dock in bay 132. Release control of your systems to the docking computer_" the docking master's voice crackled over the radio.

"Releasing control… now" Hermione flicked a switch and left the cockpit. Moving to the loading ramp, she checked that her wand, lightsaber and other weapons were secured on her belt. She also ensured that her Dragon skin armour was all correctly placed – none of the three wanted to take any chances at all. Once on the floor of the docking bay, Hermione lowered the ramp and was met by a couple of Clone troopers – armed but with weapons merely at a standby position. "I come in peace" she muttered to herself.

"You are the pilot?" asked one of the Clones, and Hermione simply nodded. "Please let me see your papers" and Hermione handed him the datacard with the fake passes and security details that Ahsoka had fixed up. "These are in order" the trooper handed them back.

"Where are the two fighters that escorted me in?" asked Hermione.

"They are in Fighter Bay 13" the trooper replied.

"Where is that?" Hermione asked.

"I am not permitted to explain" said the trooper.

"The two pilots and myself are on an Alpha Re–" Hermione was cut off by Ahsoka's voice.

"Good Morning, troopers. I am Ahsoka Tano, Padawan learner to Anakin Skywalker. Please arrange for the cargo of medical supplies to be unloaded as soon as possible" the Clones froze for a moment before nodding.

"It will be done, Commander"

"Also, I order the pair of you to guard this vessel and check the ID of all that come onboard to unload the cargo. One of you will stand at the ramp whilst another in the corridor to the cockpit – but do _not_ enter" Ahsoka added.

"Yes, Commander" the Clones said in unison.

"Very well… I will be speaking to Padawan Offee later, and I shall be sure to mention your dedication to your duties" Ahsoka turned round and walked out of the hanger bay with Harry and Hermione following.

# # # # #

"… hardly believe it" Barriss Offee said. "If it had come from anybody else, I would never have believed it – even Master Yoda himself"

"Barriss, you have got to believe me. I can prove it to you…" Ahsoka turned to Harry. "The datapad" and Harry shrugged and then lifted it off the desk.

"So he is a Padawan" Offee said calmly. "I assume your other companion is too"

"They are not Padawans or Jedi" Ahsoka said. "Both can use a different type of the Force to us, but they are just as capable. Harry could take on Yoda, Windu _and_ Master Skywalker at the same time and win"

"It sounds as if your 'friend' is rather dangerous" Offee said.

"Everybody with our skills are dangerous" Hermione said. "It is merely how we use the gifts we have that determine our paths"

"You have ships of your own" Barriss said, "Why not use them?"

"Because we my have to do a spot of live target practice with the Chancellor" Harry smirked.

"We need a ship to get as many of the troops as we can hold" Ahsoka told her fellow Padawan. "If Palpatine _has_ placed corrupt officers in key places, we need as many people as possible to arrest them. Come on, Barriss… It isn't as if you are planning to detonate a bomb in the Jedi temple or something"

"Very well" Offee bowed in acceptance. "There is an SSD waiting for a flight crew to ferry it to Fondor"

"That _it_?" asked Harry.

"Even with two Padawans and two… of you" Barriss said, "There are only enough people here to supply one Super Star Destroyer with a minimum flight crew" and the young Padawan sighed. "I should not be telling you this, but if Ahsoka trusts you, then I will trust in that trust. The war is going very badly for us. In fact, Republic High Command believe that we have six months before defeat is inevitable and we have no choice but to either settle for peace or surrender"

"What about all of the clones" asked Hermione. "Surely they must be able to fly these things"

"An SSD carries over two hundred thousand crew. Just a skeleton crew is two thousand" Ahsoka said. "We'll simply have to take one and hope for the best"

"I think" Harry said, "I might be able to help you there… Dobby!" and Barriss wondered what exactly a 'Dobby' was – seconds before something that resembled a cross between Yoda and the results of Shak Ti's bout of flu.

"Master Harry Potter!"

"_Master_?" Offee began to wonder if this was all some kind of test set up by the High Council for her.

"I can't get him to stop saying that" Harry shrugged. "Dobby, can you go and awaken the other House Elves?"

"Somebody has spiked my Blue Milk"

"He's harmless" Hermione said. "Just don't ask him about the FA Cup final… He's still bitter about it"

"Right" Offee said. This was most certainly a test set by the Jedi Council.

"Could I have some time with Barriss?" Ahsoka asked quietly.

"I could do with a coffee" Harry shrugged. "You know of a good place?"

"Coffee?" Ahsoka's old friend frowned. "What is that?"

"It's a caffine rich hot beverage" Ahsoka replied. "There's Caf down in the mess hall"

"Ah…" Hermione nodded. "Any port in a storm" and the pair left to get a drink.

"Barriss, we need to talk" Ahsoka's eyes flashed with anger – causing Offee to flinch in fear.


End file.
